


The World We Dream About (and the One We Live in Now)

by emberanne



Series: In Spite of the Way That It Is [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Gen, Other idols as side characters, Song Mingi-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 34,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25237525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emberanne/pseuds/emberanne
Summary: In a world where everyone has powers, Mingi isn't very powerful.He doesn't have super speed or healing powers. He can't become a hero. He can't do a lot of things.But he has the power to fix anything that's broken, and that's good enough for him.High-tier high school student Choi Jongho, who unintentionally destroys everything he touches, stumbles into low-tier Song Mingi's life and Mingi can't help but fix the damage. It starts small--dented gym lockers, cracked phones--and gradually grows into something much larger than the two of them.
Relationships: OT8 - Friendship
Series: In Spite of the Way That It Is [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1927066
Comments: 91
Kudos: 206





	1. No Stranger to the World

**Author's Note:**

> Mild inspiration was taken from: Boku no Hero Academia (anime/manga), UnOrdinary (webtoon), and X-Men (comics/films). Bear in mind I have watched all of one episode of BNHA, haven't been current on UnOrdinary since early Jan 2020, and am barely a casual X-Men fan. In other words, I really don't know enough about any of these fandoms to claim real inspiration or influence from them, but like, I did actively consider them in the back of my mind when I was writing this, so I felt like I should give credit where credit is due. Oh, and the title comes from "Hadestown." Great musical. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this story <3

The first time Mingi meets Jongho, Jongho effortlessly crushes a gym locker with his bare hands. 

The younger freezes when he realizes that Mingi's standing in the doorway, slack-jawed at the sight. Before Mingi has time to say "that's so cool!" because really, it is so cool that this kid can do this, Jongho has launched into a panic-driven, long-winded rush of "oh-my-god-I'm-so-sorry-I'm-still-working-on-my-control-I-can-work-to-pay-the-gym-back-I-swear" and Mingi doesn't know how to tell this kid that he doesn't work for the gym they're in. 

"Yo, dude, calm down!" Mingi finally says, hands out as if to steady the kid (who looks like he's about to start hyperventilating). "You're good, it's okay! No harm done!"

"But my power and the locker and-"

"Kid!" Mingi interrupts, fully placing his hands on the others' shoulders. "It's okay." 

And to prove his point, Mingi uses his power and his eyes glow amber as his hands coax the air, and the locker is mended, good as new. 

"You, you can..." he trails off, mouth open. Abruptly, he turns and bows at the waist to Mingi. "Thank you!"

"It's not a problem, really," Mingi laughs awkwardly, running a nervous hand through his hair. "It's an easy fix for me. I'm Song Mingi, by the way."

"I'm Choi Jongho!"

They shake hands and they're thick as thieves before the end of the week. 

* * *

Most of the time, Jongho and Mingi go out to lunch after working out at the gym together on the weekends. Their friendship comes easily, their personalities complement each other. Mingi is loud and childish where Jongho comes off as quiet and mature, but Mingi quickly learns that Jongho is just as ridiculous as him and they get along easily. They both live in the sketchy apartments of the same building that houses the gym they met in, so they start working out together and everything flows naturally. 

It's only when Jongho casually asks him "what do you do, Hyung?" in between bites of fried chicken that Mingi realizes Jongho doesn't know just how different they are. 

Jongho has just started his second year at the Academy, he's told Mingi as such. _The_ Academy. The Academy is for high-tiers like Jongho who are well on their way to being heroes and will spend a majority of their adult lives being heroes, fighting villains, keeping this fragile world intact. Jongho will be famous, potentially a celebrity if he does his job well and Mingi has no doubt that he will. 

Mingi on the other hand...

"I float around," Mingi says simply. He digs into his lunch and asks Jongho another question about the Academy before Jongho can process and ask Mingi what he means exactly. 

* * *

In a world where everyone has powers, Mingi isn't very powerful. 

He doesn't have super speed or healing powers. He can't become a hero. He can't do a lot of things. 

But he has the power to fix anything that's broken and that's good enough for him. 

* * *

He works odd jobs. 

It can't be helped, he didn't go to a notable high school or a traditional high school, for that matter. He felt he didn't qualify for traditional high schools. 

High schools were ranked into firsts, seconds, and thirds. At the top of it all was the Academy. (It had an official name, probably, but everyone and their mother knew it as the Academy.) The best and brightest went there. From there, firsts hosted the Academy-almosts, seconds the small slew of mid-tiers, and thirds the endless low-tiers, including Mingi. 

Mingi wasn't ashamed of being a low-tier, not like he was when he was young. He knew not everyone could be an Academy kid, but that didn't mean he didn't loathe the inherent segregation of the tier system.

Instead of a third school, Mingi had gone to trade school, which didn't even deserve to be held to the rankings of traditional high schools in the government's eyes. That was fine by Mingi, he liked trade school just fine. He came out two years later with his high school diploma and an okay general education, some helpful life skills, and the knowledge of how to use his power to help in future careers. 

The thing is unless he wants to be a repairman, Mingi's power isn't all that useful. He's surprisingly okay with this. He's happy working random jobs where he doesn't have to use his power. 

He can't do a lot of things, but he can do all the things at the same time.

* * *

He can't do a lot of things. Using his power can take quite a toll on his body depending on the job. If he uses his power for too long or pushes himself too far, he collapses. At this point in his life, he knows his limits. Knows which jobs will push him to the brink of passing out and which will only leave him with a mild headache. He tries and fails to accept the jobs he can healthily handle. 

Most of the time, having the power to fix broken things gives the impression that he can just magically make anything operational. It doesn't work like that. For something to be broken implies that it was once whole and working properly. 

But Yeosang calls him in to fix the Academy's mainframe and even though Mingi hates working with computers, he likes Yeosang, so he accepts the job anyway. 

"Give it to me," Mingi says by way of greeting. He and Yeosang fist bump. 

The effect is instantaneous. Mingi can see the view from the security camera of some tired maintenance person spilling his thermos in the mainframe room, the sparks of electricity as the liquid spreads and everything shuts down. 

Mingi blinks rapidly. It's always a bit of a head rush to get information from Yeosang, but it's damn efficient. 

Yeosang is like a hub of data, destined to be the best intelligence operative of the century, able to absorb information from technology and transmit it with a single touch. From what Mingi understands, the sheer mass of information is so vast and Yeosang can only hold so much before it hurts him, (and on those days, Yeosang hates his power) but Yeosang also needs the data and information and technology to function properly. A collapsed Academy mainframe isn't good for Yeosang's health and the faster it's fixed, the better. Hence why Mingi is here to fix the mainframe a good 24 hours before the Academy's usual hire can get in to repair the damage. 

"How long?" Yeosang asks as he drops Mingi off in the mainframe room. 

Mingi frowns, eyebrows furrowing as he touches the mainframe and looks at what he has to work with. He's not great at detailed jobs like this, it'll take more time. 

"A few hours?" 

Yeosang nods and leaves Mingi to it. Mingi's eyes burn amber as he activates his power and gently starts coaxing what little liquid hasn't evaporated out of the system, slowly mending and restoring electricity to become a functional mainframe. 

He works for eight straight hours until everything is fixed and fully operational again. The second it is, Mingi collapses, soaked in sweat and half-starved. He's not strong he never has been. 

* * *

In a world where everyone has powers, Mingi is very, very mortal. 

* * *

He wakes up in the Academy's med bay. There's a note, inevitably from Yeosang, resting on the bedside table and Jongho sits at the foot of his bed, the top half of his body sprawled over the tips of Mingi's feet as he sleeps peacefully. 

Mingi blinks in surprise. He knew Jongho was a student of the Academy, but that didn't explain why Jongho was here. 

He shifts carefully, doing his best not to disturb Jongho as he sits up. He grabs the note on his bedside table, scanning it quickly. The credits for fixing the mainframe have already been transferred into his bank account, Yeosang is offering to buy him dinner as a thank you and as a means to catch up, and _oh_ , Jongho caught Yeosang and his friend carrying Mingi to the med bay and insisted on staying here with him. 

_Nice dongsaeng_ , Yeosang writes and Mingi smiles a little because yeah, Jongho is a nice dongsaeng. 

"Hey, kid," Mingi leans down, shaking Jongho awake. Jongho blearily blinks in confusion and Mingi laughs a little, prompting Jongho to shoot up. 

"Hyung! Are you okay? I saw Yeosang-ssi and San-ssi carrying you in the hallway and you were passed out and I was so worried and-"

"I'm fine, Jongho-ah," Mingi smiles, ruffling Jongho's hair teasingly. "Let's go home." 

They walk to their building together and Mingi talks Jongho's ear off, doing everything in his power to reassure the younger boy that he's okay. 

* * *

To Jongho's credit, the younger doesn't bring up the issue of Mingi in the med bay for almost a month. Mingi meets Jongho at the gym like everything is normal because everything is normal. They lift weights and spot each other and run on treadmills side by side. 

They laugh and joke and despite never considering himself a responsible person, Mingi finds himself feeling like an older brother to Jongho. He listens to Jongho's problems and fixes Jongho's phone when Jongho gets a little too excited and half-crushes the thing in his fist. They play card games and spend a lot of time hanging out on the floor of Mingi's apartment. He pinches Jongho's cheeks and texts Jongho reminders to do his homework. 

Mingi can feel the question screaming in Jongho's mind and knows it's only a matter of time before the younger bursts. So he waits and tries to be a good Hyung. He does the best he can. 

The question comes, much as Mingi expected it to, in an explosion of panic on Jongho's end. Mingi had run too hard and stumbled off the treadmill, Jongho hitting both of their emergency stop buttons and grabbing Mingi protectively as black spots dance across his vision. 

"Why do you push yourself so hard?" 

It's not the question Mingi was expecting, but honestly, Mingi doesn't know why he thought Jongho would ask differently. It's a question that he can brush aside, claim he hasn't eaten enough today and that he's tired. Make an offhand comment about money being tight this month and know that Jongho will leave it, drop it there. Never pick it up unless Mingi asks him to. 

Mingi trusts Jongho enough to tell him the truth. 

"I can't do a lot," Mingi tells him. "But if there is something that I can do, I'd rather destroy myself than do the job halfway." 

* * *

Mingi destroys himself. Jongho destroys the things around him. 

It's not something that either of them means to do. 

Jongho is still a kid. Still a few months from turning 17, still wet behind the ears. Mingi never forgets this fact because it is an incredibly important fact, the fact that Jongho is one year younger than him. The fact that they are both young, far too young, to go it alone as they have been. 

For all his power and strength, Jongho is still a kid learning control. His power is so immense that it flows into his everyday movements without activation. He is like Yeosang, constantly under siege from his own potential. Sometimes his power escapes him and casually punching a gym locker closed means leaving an enormous dent. Sometimes putting down a ceramic bowl means the bowl shattered everywhere and Jongho desperately trying not to lose his cool. 

And in these moments, Jongho so clearly hates his power. 

But then Mingi is there, putting a gentle hand on Jongho's shoulder and letting his power take over. The dent is gone in seconds and the shattered bowl slowly comes back together as Mingi makes sure not to miss a piece. 

Jongho watches with wide eyes, amazed and grateful every single time. 

* * *

Mingi forgets that Yeosang had offered to buy him a meal until they run into each other in a bookstore a few blocks away from the Academy. Yeosang offers dinner and Mingi doesn't really have anything better to do because he doesn't have a lot of close friends, so they head to a cheap barbeque place down the street. 

Mingi eats slowly, but Yeosang doesn't seem to mind. 

They make small talk, catching up on the months it's been since they last hung out. Mingi asks about the mainframe and Yeosang lights up with glee and praises of "really, Mingi-ah, you're a lifesaver" and it's all very natural and Mingi is reminded of just how much he enjoys talking to a good friend. 

"I didn't know you were friends with Choi Jongho," Yeosang says at one point, elbow propped on the table and chin resting on his fist. Yeosang, always analytical, eyes Mingi searingly. "He gets sent on a lot of student missions and various tournaments, so he's no stranger to injured persons, but I've never seen him as panicked as he was when he saw San and I carrying you." 

"He's a good dongsaeng. You should try talking to him sometime," Mingi shrugs, shoveling rice into his mouth.

"I'll consider it," Yeosang says. And then, softer, and with a kind of understanding Mingi never expects, "I'll keep an eye on him for you."

Mingi swallows uncertainly. It's times like these that Yeosang's gaze seems to pierce his soul. "Thank you," and, trying to avoid eye contact, "Who's San?" 

Yeosang's eyes warm and Mingi learns about Choi San, a kind shapeshifter in Yeosang's year. Mingi's a little surprised to hear that a shifter made it to the Academy (they're not common but they're not always that powerful) but then he finds out that San's specialty lies in shifting into other people he's seen and perfectly mimicking their mannerisms, a power the other students have dubbed "body-snatching," and Mingi is impressed and horrified at the same time. 

"San's a baby, you guys would get along great," Yeosang says, brushing aside the extent of San's ability as if it's trivial. "I normally get dinner once a week with him and some friends from a nearby first school, you should join us sometime." 

Mingi is reminded of how terrifyingly powerful the students of the Academy are. 

* * *

Terrifyingly powerful is a good way to describe Jongho on his bad days. 

He doesn't have them too often and Mingi is there every time, but there are still bad days and Jongho's power is incredible: his bad days are everyone's bad days. 

It starts with something small, it always does, and this time it's forgetting his strength and crushing an egg. Mingi snorts a little, because a surprised Jongho with raw egg leaking from his fist is an incredibly amusing sight, and tells the younger to wash his hands before he gets the egg all over Mingi's pathetic excuse of a kitchen. 

"I wasn't trying to break it," Jongho whines and there's a clear line of frustration in his tone. Mingi knows it's going to be a bad day. 

He's proven correct when he's on his lunch break for his current job at a convenience store and gets a call from Yeosang. 

"Consider this a courtesy call." 

"Okay," Mingi shoves the phone between his ear and shoulder, already taking his vest off and signaling to his coworker that he's gonna need an extra hour. "What happened?" 

"Jongho got into a fight, some third years thought it was a good idea to taunt him. He didn't hurt anyone, but he did a serious number on some school property," Yeosang pauses and Mingi's out the door, running for the Academy. "He's in trouble if he can't pay the Academy back, he's already in the student detention center." 

"I'm seven minutes out, tell them I'll fix whatever's broken if they let me bring him home after I'm done."

"I'll do my best." 

Mingi isn't afraid of Jongho's bad days, not the way everyone else is. He's not afraid of Jongho hurting him or damaging something valuable. Mingi is afraid of Jongho breaking.

There's a boy who introduces himself as Yeosang's friend San when Mingi arrives at the Academy. Yeosang is doing damage control with the Academy administrators, so San is here to take Mingi to the physical damage. 

"There are no classes in this wing for the rest of the hour, so you should have plenty of space to work," San says as he leads Mingi through the Academy. "Yeosang said that was important?" 

"He's probably right, I've never thought about it," Mingi offers. He's already winded from his run here, he has to keep his energy up if he wants to fix things. 

The window is shattered. There are broken desks and enormous cracks in the floor and walls of the classroom. It's a large fix, much larger than what Mingi is used to handling, but the breaks are clean and nothing seems to require much detail work, so Mingi activates his power with San in the room. He steadies his stance, moving his arms through the air and carefully bringing everything together. 

It doesn't take more than a few minutes, but it's a large strain on his body. Mingi teeters, exhaustion washing over him. San catches Mingi's arm and helps to ease the taller onto the ground. Mingi assures San that really, he's fine, he just needs a minute to catch his breath and maybe a bottle of water. 

Several deep breaths have Mingi feeling more in control, albeit a little sore and in dire need of some painkillers. There's an aching in the back of his head, but it's more manageable than times before this. His recovery time is improving. He tries not to think about what it means. 

He drinks the water that Yeosang brings along with one of the Academy administrators. 

"Very impressive, Song Mingi-ssi," she commends. "You're a mid-tier?" 

Mid-tiers have always walked a fine line.

"I'm a low-tier," Mingi says, ignores her surprise and San's wide eyes. "I'm not that powerful. Since I've fixed everything that was damaged, can I take Jongho home?" 

"You're not his legal guardian-"

"His parents are on the other side of the country, I'm the closest thing he's got." 

Mingi's only been 18 for a month or so, but the Academy begrudgingly lets him sign the paperwork that legal guardians do to get Jongho out of the detention center. He's guided inside by an Academy employee, San and Yeosang forced to go to the next round of classes since their free period is over, and finds Jongho curled in on himself in the corner of the padded room he's been put in. 

"Why is he in a room like that?" Mingi hisses at the employee, who only shrugs helplessly. 

"He's a powerful student," the employee says as they unlock the door. "He can do a lot of harm if he gets out of control like he did earlier today." 

Mingi isn't afraid of Jongho no matter how many bad days Jongho has. 

Mingi crouches in front of Jongho. "Hey kid." 

He does his best to hide his tiredness and shakes Jongho's shoulder lightly. Jongho's face is wracked with fear and there's a bruise blossoming on his temple, probably a sign of being knocked out. 

"Hyung?"

"Yeah," a kind smile. Jongho barrels forward, burrowing his face in Mingi's chest with a chocked cry. There's a lump in Mingi's throat as he wraps his arms around Jongho and holds him close as he cries. 

Jongho is so, so strong, that Mingi forgets how fragile he is sometimes. 

* * *

"You shouldn't have to clean up all the messes I make when I lose control," Jongho says at breakfast a few days later. "I'm sorry, you don't have to do that anymore." 

"I don't do anything I don't want to," Mingi responds. "I want to help, so please let me help you when you need it." 

Jongho cries again and Mingi holds him while he falls apart, because Mingi is all he has. Because Jongho's parents gave up everything to send him to the Academy and Jongho hasn't seen his family in two years. He's 16 and all he has is Mingi, workout buddy turned pseudo-older brother. All he has is Mingi and they both know that Mingi can only do so much. 

Mingi thinks to himself that Jongho is far too young to feel so helpless. 

* * *

Mingi offers to buy Yeosang and San dinner. He's indescribably thankful for everything they did to help him and Jongho through the situation, the least he can do is treat them to a meal. 

"Come to our weekly dinner with Wooyoung and Yunho instead," Yeosang says. "We're getting sushi. Bring Jongho." 

If anything, at least Yeosang is direct. Mingi pulls Jongho out of his apartment on a Wednesday with promises that they're going to be fine and nobody is going to think poorly of them. 

"From what Yeosang tells me, they're all strong," Mingi tries to make Jongho feel more at ease. "You'll probably have more in common with them than I will." 

Mingi can tell he's the odd man out the minute they step into the sushi restaurant. Yeosang smiles easily and naturally until Yeosang melts away and San is left in his place, chuckling apologetically that Yeosang is the one who booked the booth but was running a few minutes late so San was asked to hold it for the group. 

"Terrifying," Mingi says.

"Cool!" Jongho exclaims, his trepidation lost to the excitement of getting to know someone as powerful as he is. "I've never seen you use your power up close, San-ssi!"

And Jongho has a million and one exciting questions, which Mingi can hardly blame him for, so Mingi settles in at the table and introduces himself to Jung Wooyoung, a bright and bubbly healer, and Jeong Yunho, who reminds Mingi of a golden retriever with super speed. They're both kind and clearly excited to be making more friends. 

Yeosang arrives a few minutes later and they decide to order one of the boats full of sushi, because why not, and conversation flows naturally. They baby Jongho (much to Wooyoung's delight, having grown tired of being the youngest) and talk about their school lives, San and Yeosang lamenting how insane the Academy exams are and Yunho grinning at his perfect attendance record ("It's hard to be late when you can run at the speed of sound," he jokes). 

They're all quite nice and Mingi likes them, but they're all quite powerful and Mingi feels incredibly out of place.

"Mingi-ssi," (Mingi's gut twists in a fit of nervousness,) "Where do you go to school?"

Mingi can't blame Wooyoung for asking the question, it's certainly innocent enough. Mingi's the same age as the rest of them, so it's natural to assume that he's in his third year of high school as well. 

"Nowhere, I graduated last year," Mingi says, grabbing a piece of salmon nigiri to distract himself from his embarrassment. 

"Really? You must be super powerful," Yunho laughs, nudging Mingi with his shoulder. "Why didn't you tell us?" 

"I'm, uh, I'm not," God, Mingi feels so awkward right now. "I'm not powerful. I'm a low-tier, actually. I went to trade school." 

Mingi can feel Jongho's tenseness radiating from his right, ready to jump in and defend Mingi if one of them says something about it. Mingi's never been dishonest about his powers, he's always been incredibly transparent, so telling people he's a low-tier who went to trade school always gets something of a reaction. 

"You must not hate your power then," San says and his voice is casual, teasing, but Mingi can feel the curiousness San has been suppressing since they first met. 

He knows exactly what San's saying, what they all know is implied by San's statement. "Yeah, I don't." 

* * *

In a world where everyone has powers, freedom is an incredibly limited thing. 

The more powerful you are, the more your future is set in stone. The people sitting in front of Mingi have their lives laid out in front of them. Mingi's future is fuzzy in comparison to the clarity of theirs. 

Of the six of them, Mingi is the only one who has a chance of knowing freedom, because he is the only one with a power that doesn't control his life and that is priceless in this world. 

Mingi loves his power in a way the others will never be able to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts? scream at me on [twitter!](https://twitter.com/theEmberAnne) i have no followers lmao. you can also scream at me in the comments.


	2. Nothing Comes of Wishing on Stars

It hurts to talk to people who will never know freedom, but Mingi doesn't regret becoming friends with San and Wooyoung and Yunho. He was already friends with Yeosang and Jongho, this was just him adding three more high-tiers into his life. But they live different lives, have different truths, and there are some things they don't talk about because they can't understand each other. 

Jongho comes back from increasingly harsh student missions battered and bruised, the Academy med bay having healed his major injuries. Mingi has Jongho sit on his kitchen counter and flutters around him, grabbing painkillers and ice packs and bandages and wishing he was Wooyoung so he could heal Jongho. Sometimes he does call Wooyoung, patiently watching as Wooyoung's eyes burn a rich and beautiful gold while he mends Jongho's injuries. 

Through it all, Mingi fights back the urge to scream because he can't understand why Jongho lets himself become so injured, why he only fights back in the student missions but not the tournaments the Academy seems determined to throw him in. But Mingi knows that Jongho's choice is hurting others or letting himself get hurt and for Jongho, there's no choice there. So he bites his tongue and doesn't say anything. 

It's tiring to only talk to people who are incredibly different from you, so Mingi starts skyping his brother. 

Mingi loves his brother, his Hyung, with his whole heart. When Mingi was young and foolish and angry, his brother was always there for him. Always knew just what to say, just how to make Mingi feel better. So Mingi starts skyping his brother twice a week with the hope that his brother will make everything okay. 

"I don't mean to be that person, but all my close friends are high-tiers," Mingi confesses. 

"I know I'm supposed to say that's really cool, but honestly it sounds kind of lonely," his brother says, expression thoughtful in the grainy camera quality. "To be surrounded by people that you love and know that you exist in two different worlds." 

Heart thrumming in his chest, Mingi swallows and nods, because he doesn't trust himself to respond. His brother has always known him too well. 

But his brother smiles, eyes warm, and says, "Tell me about them." 

Mingi's smile matches his brother's perfectly. "Oh man, Hyung, they're great. They're all super cool and oh, I have a dongsaeng! His name is Jongho, you would love him. He's such a good kid, I want to give him the world..." 

Mingi skypes his brother twice a week because his brother understands him better than anyone else. 

* * *

When Mingi was younger, he wanted to be a hero. Every kid did. He dreamed of fixing the world. 

Then the census workers come in and evaluate everyone's powers. Mingi gets his official ranking as a low-tier and knows he will never be able to be a hero. He cries about this. He cries to the census workers, to the teacher, to his parents and his brother. 

It's his brother that pulls him into their shared bedroom, puts a hand on his head and says, "You might not be able to become a hero, but that doesn't mean you can't fix the world, bit by bit, and make it into what you want it to be." 

Mingi carries his brother's words and leans on them for the rest of his life. 

* * *

Surprisingly, Yunho is the first person to ask Mingi about college. Mingi thought it would be his brother or his mother, maybe even Jongho, he didn't expect it to be Yunho. 

Of the new friends Mingi left the sushi restaurant with, Yunho is without a doubt his favorite. It seems silly to pick favorites, but there's no denying that he and Yunho slide together so naturally, it's like they've been friends for five years instead of five weeks. Plus Yunho and Jongho get along so well, declaring themselves the two Ho brothers, so it's natural for Yunho to gradually become a part of Mingi and Jongho's daily lives, even joining them to celebrate Jongho's birthday. 

Yunho asks Mingi about college innocently, the two of them sitting on the fire escape outside the window of Mingi's apartment, an awkward tangle of long limbs. 

Of course, Mingi's thought about college, he's been thinking about college since he got his rank as low-tier all those years ago. College is almost strictly for low-tiers and mid-tiers, similar to trade school but better in every way. College is the reason Mingi works so many jobs and lives in such a shitty apartment building where you can break onto the fire escape without setting off an alarm, is the reason why money's tight every month and Mingi hasn't bought himself a new phone in three years. 

Mingi's been waiting to go to college his whole life, he's just never told anyone. 

"I'm saving up to start next year," Mingi tells him, mildly amazed. He was pretty sure most high-tiers didn't even know that college existed. 

"You're going to have so much fun," Yunho sighs wistfully. "Wish I could go." 

These are the moments where the difference between Mingi and his friends is so vast. Mingi can have small dreams and make them realities. Yunho can't. 

"What would you do," Mingi asks quietly. "If you could go to college, what would you do?" 

Dreaming of impossible things has only ever hurt, but sometimes dreams are worth their pain. 

"Be young, sleep through class, get wasted on the weekends." They laugh. "Dance." 

"Dance?"

"Yeah," Yunho's smile is small, abashed even, and his fingers trace the grates of the fire escape. "I think it'd be nice to dance." 

Yunho's dream is so small, so tangible. Surely Mingi can help him grasp some corner of it. 

"There's dance teams that aren't associated with colleges, y'know," Mingi says. "Crews that perform and stuff. Maybe dance can't be everything in your life, but there's no reason it can't have some small place there." 

Yunho is already shaking his head and Mingi just stares at him, helplessly, because why not. Why not grasp what he can?

"I think it would hurt too much," Yunho says. "I think only being able to have some part of that life, but never the whole thing, would hurt more than never having that life in the first place." 

* * *

(Later, Mingi will learn that Yunho's mother isn't in his life. He will learn that Yunho's father is a high-tier and his mother was a low-tier and everyone knows relationships spanning tiers have always been very taboo. He will learn that Yunho's family was torn apart because the scandalous whispers that followed Yunho's parents eventually became too much for his mother to bear and that Yunho's father has never been the same. 

Mingi will learn that Yunho has first-hand experience watching someone gain a piece of the life they've always wanted only to have it torn away and Yunho's refusal to try suddenly makes much more sense.)

* * *

Yeosang is nothing if not direct and while most of the time that leaves Mingi feeling burned from one of Yeosang's many savage comments, sometimes he finds himself thankful for Yeosang's directness. 

"Things are going to get worse for Jongho at the Academy," Yeosang warns, San by his side. "He needs to learn to control his strength, he can't go from 0 to 100 all the time." 

"That's not something I can teach him," Mingi protests, wringing his wrists nervously. 

"And I'm not saying you have to, the Academy has people who will help him with that, but it's not going to be easy," Yeosang insists. "He's going to be struggling a lot, they're pushing him to make it to New Years without another incident at school. I figured you'd want to know so that you can make life at home easier or-"

"I'll do my best." 

If it's for Jongho, Mingi will do everything in his power to make things okay. 

For a week or so, Mingi's completely lost on what to do. It seems like there's no big action he can take to make Jongho feel better, nothing he can do to relieve Jongho's stress other than what he usually does. But Mingi sees the tiredness in Jongho's eyes give way to a tender look when he helps Jongho fold his laundry on a particularly exhausting evening and realizes the solution has been staring at him in the face the entire time. 

In a lifetime characterized by disappointment, Mingi has learned that small comforts mean the world. And maybe it won't be enough for Jongho, but he has to try. 

Mingi learns to wake Jongho up after he's stayed up too late doing homework and sends him off to the Academy with a protein bar and an energy drink so he's not late for class. With Wooyoung's help, he learns to make good kimchi fried rice so he can give Jongho a home-cooked meal once a week. 

He makes fun competitions of their time in the gym, challenging Jongho to races on the treadmills. Sometimes, they go outside and run around the neighborhood. Sometimes, Yunho joins them and laughs at them for not keeping up. ("Like it's possible to keep up with someone who has super speed," Jongho will call out between labored breaths, a smile stretched across his face.)

On the weekends that Jongho doesn't have student missions or arbitrary tournaments, they try to have fun. Occasionally they stay inside and have video game marathons, but most of the time they opt for wandering around the city they live in and somehow know absolutely nothing about. They find food stalls and alleys with beautiful murals stretching over the walls and Jongho takes photo after photo after photo. 

They make shitty coffee in Mingi's ancient, hand-me-down coffee maker on rainy mornings. They sit together on the couch and watch bad television, Jongho curled into Mingi's side, comfort wrapped around their shoulders. On clear nights, they sprawl across the fire escape and try to imagine seeing the stars beyond all the light pollution. Despite Mingi going to college next year, they decide to sign a lease together and plan to become roommates in January. 

Hours blend together and days turn into weeks and the New Year creeps closer amidst small comforts of hot chocolate and croissants from their favorite bakery down the road to replace the burnt cookies made from a store-bought dough. 

And Mingi prays that these small comforts are enough. 

* * *

Dreaming impossible things has only ever hurt, but it seems the others can't help but dream when they find out Mingi's going to college. 

Whispers of their dreams find Mingi in random moments. He finds them in idle small talk, in lingering fingers and gazes, in incessant questions and dropped jaws. He finds them at coffee shops and tech displays and food stalls and busking performances. Their dreams find their way to Mingi, small dreams that don't ask for the world. 

Small, impossible dreams. 

They can't seem to stop asking questions about Mingi's future, their curiosity spilling into wide eyes and eager smiles whenever they can get Mingi to talk about college. Where are you going? What do you want to study? Are you going to join any clubs? Do you know anyone there? 

"Oh, I know someone," Yunho says when San asks loudly. "We went to elementary and middle school together, he's a mid-tier. I'll introduce you guys some time!"

"Is he strong?" Jongho asks eagerly. 

Mid-tiers have always walked a fine line. 

Yunho's grin speaks louder than any words would have. 

* * *

The school year winds to a close and they decide to throw a party. Everyone passed their respective end of year exams with flying colors and Mingi's informed of the solid work-study position he's earned at his university, so they figure a celebration is deserved. 

"Just us, though, no more high-tiers or anything," Mingi begs the others, who laugh and agree readily and it's the only reason Mingi agrees to play host in his and Jongho's new apartment. Mingi cleans for four straight hours, Jongho laughing from his perch on the kitchen counter all the while. 

Naturally, Mingi's efforts are wasted. San brings enough soju to drown in, Yeosang brings three grease-covered buckets of fried chicken, and Wooyoung brings a giant-ass hotpot, so there's food debris within five minutes of everyone arriving. To his credit, Mingi only grumbles about the mess for a few minutes before he digs in with the rest of them. 

Yunho, on the other hand, brings his mid-tier friend ("you said no high-tiers!") that's attending the same university Mingi will. His name is Kim Hongjoong, he has the power to teleport, and he so obviously downplays his own abilities that Mingi thinks it's kind of hilarious Hongjoong has passed as a mid-tier for 19 years. 

"How have you gotten away with this for so long?" Mingi asks Hongjoong, shaking his head in disbelief when they manage to catch a moment alone. "Surely someone must have realized what a great hero you would make." 

"Maybe," Hongjoong shrugs, lifting his bottle of soju to take a small sip. "But when you look at my power by itself and take into account it's limitations, I don't come off that powerful." 

But the gleam in Hongjoong's eyes tells Mingi that Hongjoong is one of the more powerful people he's met. 

Mid-tiers have always walked a fine line. Too much potential to be considered low-tier but lacking the inherent power advantage of high-tiers, not rare, but not common, mid-tiers have always had the worst end of the stick. Most of the mid-tiers Mingi's met don't like to admit they're mid-tiers because, one way or another, they feel they belong in a different tier. 

Hongjoong is the type of mid-tier who should have been a high-tier. 

If Hongjoong wanted to, he could probably wade through three dozen levels of bureaucratic bullshit and have his ranking changed, but Mingi doubts that Hongjoong wants to. Hongjoong seems happy being a mid-tier, like he's totally assured in his power and that it's not at all unnatural he could probably go head-to-head with the Academy's best fighters and emerge victorious. 

Well, maybe not against Jongho. Jongho destroys Hongjoong and their coffee table in an arm-wrestling competition, but Mingi's anger fades to delight almost instantly because Mingi's never seen Jongho with this smile on his face after using his strength. 

Mingi knows better than to dream, but he finds himself wishing Jongho could smile like this every day. 

* * *

Of all of their dreams, Jongho's dream is the most achievable. 

"I've always wanted to be a hero," Jongho will admit with a small, proud grin when asked about what he wants to do. "I wouldn't give up my chance to be a hero for anything." 

Everyone smiles and ruffles Jongho's hair (much to his protest) cooing at how good he is, how pure his heart is. Jongho laughs. 

His smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. 

Mingi's pretty sure no one else notices, but Mingi sees it all. He sees the tenseness in Jongho's shoulders, the tiredness of Jongho's eyes. 

There is no doubt in Mingi's mind that Jongho is telling the truth, that being a hero is Jongho's dream. 

But Mingi knows how wide Jongho's eyes go whenever Mingi uses his power. How awed Jongho seems by each small fix, how impressed he seems every time Mingi's eyes glow amber. Mingi knows how the quiet, curious questions Jongho asks about healing broken things are laced with unintentional envy. How Jongho collapses in defeat when he destroys things he doesn't mean to and Mingi repairs the damage. 

(He knows Jongho's quiet cries on a cold Wednesday night, hands fisted in the hem of Mingi's shirt and tears soaking Mingi's shoulder as he admits, choking, "I just want to be like you, Hyung. I want to fix things instead of breaking them. I'm so tired of breaking everything I touch.")

Being a hero is Jongho's dream, but Mingi knows that there is far more to Jongho's dream than meets the eye. 

* * *

College, Mingi quickly discovers, is a world entirely different from the one he knows. 

No one's there to hold his hand and guide him around campus, there's no counselors or advisors there to tell him which courses to take and help him make decisions for his future. He's on his own on an enormous mountain of a campus and it is absolutely terrifying. 

"I can do this," he tells himself. "I can do this." 

He dives in headfirst. 

It's terrifying at first, being a faceless, nameless number in a lecture hall with who knows how many other first years. People jostle each other and Mingi finds himself thankful that his height allows him to somewhat see over the crowds because otherwise, he would have no idea where to go. He loses track of the number of times he's almost run over by a skateboarder and he's late for his second lecture by fifteen minutes because he went to the wrong "E Hall." 

A grad student TA-ing one of his intro courses seems to take pity on him, because as she passes the first-day sign-in sheet to him with a kind smile she tells him, "Everyone's afraid when they first get here and they forget that the people around them feel the exact same way. Try not to worry too much, okay? You're not as alone as you think."

A flip is switched and suddenly Mingi understands. College exists in a universe separate from the real world because here, everyone is equal. 

So he goes about the rest of his first week with this new perspective and falls in love with what he sees. A girl lying in the grass of the quad, altering the color of her friend's hair with a single touch. Flowers that blossom whenever the boy in his literature seminar sings. Kind baristas that reheat lukewarm cups of coffee with the palm of their hand. A baseball cap on top of the flagpole put there by a girl who can jump hundreds of feet into the air. Handfuls of the rare folks whose power takes the form of physical mutations, including fuzzy antennae and scaly arms. 

And it's all so casual, so inherent to everything they do. For the first time in living memory, Mingi is able to have a conversation with someone without exchanging powers and ranks in the first thirty minutes. It seems like everyone is saying "yes, I have a power, what about it?" 

Everyone is so beautifully themselves and full of freedom, how could Mingi not fall in love?

The end of the week arrives with Yunho and Wooyoung at his door with a bag full of pastries from their favorite bakery and steaming cups of hot chocolate. They sit together in the living room, tearing off chunks of croissants and dipping them in their drinks, small specks of hot chocolate spattered over the coffee table. Eventually, Jongho drags himself out of bed to join them, his hair defying gravity and his cheek an ugly purple bruise from an exam earlier in the week. Yunho cards his fingers through Jongho's hair fondly and Wooyoung cups Jongho's cheek with his palm, eyes burning gold for a minute before he pulls his hand away and there's no longer a bruise in sight. 

It's warm, it's home. It's a freedom so similar to the one on campus, Mingi realizes just how blessed he is to have friends like this. 

"How is it?" Wooyoung asks him, eyes wide and eager. Yunho and Jongho lean in, staring at him expectantly. 

He thinks of how lucky he is to have freedom outside of this room, how lucky he is to have a voice in his future when San and Yeosang are already on the other side of the world on a mission. How liberating it is to not know what he wants to become. Uncertainty, choice, these are freedoms his friends will never know. 

And Mingi knows that they know this just as well as he does. 

But his friends know the freedom of this room, the comfort that lays over them like a warm blanket. They know they will never experience freedom as Mingi will, they can only grasp small corners of it in this room, in his words. How could he ever keep that from them?

"It's incredible," Mingi says and he leans in, a smile stretching across his face. He tells them about how hard it was and the grad student who lent him her knowledge. About nearly getting run over by skateboarders and the hustle and bustle of campus life. About the other students with beautifully diverse powers, all small and weak, yet strangely powerful. He talks for hours about the things he's seen, the classes he's taking, the people he's met. And his friends drink it all in, asking eager questions and laughing at his anecdotes. 

With every word, he watches his friends fall further in love with the world he paints for them, and Mingi finds himself dreaming of a world where his friends could truly know this freedom too. 

Yet another small, impossible dream. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/theEmberAnne) if you want to hear me scream about how bad I am at writing. I also fawn over fan art and fic writers much more talented than me. 
> 
> The third chapter will be up...eventually. I think I know what I'm doing? jk lol, I promise I have a plan. I just can't promise that it's a good plan...


	3. The More He Has, the More He Holds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw // brief descriptions of injuries and panic attacks  
> (aka, shit hits the fan)

Not everything changes when you go to college. 

* * *

College is a world entirely different from the one Mingi knows. It's been so long since he was surrounded by people that were more similar to him than different. It's been so long since he felt equal to his peers. 

In many ways, college is a breath of desperately needed fresh air. Mingi didn't realize how lonely he was. 

(Vaguely, he wonders if it's possible to be lonely when he has such beautiful friends by his side. Is it possible to be lonely when he knows what it means to be properly and truly alone? 

Yes, Mingi decides. It is possible to be surrounded by people that he cares for and still feel terribly lonely.)

It's incredibly tiring to only have friends who are incredibly different from you, so Mingi seizes the chance to have more friends, peers, just like him with both hands. 

And it's so, so good. 

* * *

For Mingi, work has a constant presence in his life. 

He works in the library along with two or so dozen other friendly work-study students. He still works at the convenience store most evenings, with a handful of his odd jobs every now and then. Money will always be tight, but it's less tight with his scholarship and his work-study. 

The library gig itself is pretty simple and straightforward once he figures out how to navigate the database. He helps visitors find what they need, reshelves books, whatever they need him to do. Most of the time, he can do some of his homework while he mans the front desk with one of his coworkers. He learns their names, learns who he likes to take shifts with. 

Inevitably, something breaks. One of the older research librarians is pushing a cart of books along and the wheel falls off, the cart careens and the books slide onto the floor. Mingi and the other student worker on shelving duty help pick up the books as the research librarian complains in hushed tones about the old cart. 

It comes down to Mingi not wanting to hand carry and reshelve all the books on the cart. His eyes burn amber and he fixes the cart in under a minute, the librarian stares at him approvingly. 

"Very nice, Song Mingi-ssi," he nods. 

Someone talks, either the librarian or the other student worker. It doesn't matter. He loses track of how many times he hears "can you fix this?" in a nervous tone. He loses track of how many phone screens he mends, how many small tasks he does to help repair the library. 

It's always been like this. 

* * *

The students of campus are full of kindness and joy, they laugh and love easily. It's so easy to make an offhand comment to the person he's sitting next to in a lecture and leave the room with a new contact in his phone, talking eagerly to the new friend by his side. 

And if they ask Mingi to help them with his power, Mingi doesn't mind. He likes to help people. Using his power to help others is a small price to pay for the feeling of belonging and the freedom that comes with it. 

That feeling, that freedom, is damn intoxicating. 

Mingi finds himself spending more and more time at school, hanging out with his new friends who live on campus. It's natural to walk with them to their dorms and chill in their rooms or fall asleep on the grass of the quad under the warmth of a spring sun to the tune of students laughing and talking eagerly. 

He wants to experience everything, learn everything, feel everything. He wants the nights that stretch into mornings and the days that blend together in their beauty. He wants to be late for class and feel that intangible notion of youth in his chest. He wants so much and he takes whatever he can get. 

College is a world entirely different from the real one and it is so dangerously easy for Mingi to get lost in it. 

* * *

A month or two into school, Hongjoong finds Mingi in the shade of a flowering dogwood tree. Mingi's on his own for once, eyes closed as he leans against the trunk of the tree, enjoying the shade while he waits for his friend, Keonhee, to get out of class. 

Hongjoong calls out to him, something akin to an apologetic smile on his face as he jogs over to Mingi from the friend he was walking with. 

"I meant to reach out to you at the beginning of the year, but I realized I didn't have your number," Hongjoong laughs. "It felt weird to ask Yunho for it." 

So they exchange numbers and Hongjoong offers to buy Mingi lunch to make up for not finding him sooner. Mingi liked Hongjoong a lot when they first met, so he shoots an apology text to Keonhee and joins Hongjoong and his friend, Park Seonghwa, at a delicious smelling hole-in-the-wall restaurant that Hongjoong swears has "the best kong-guksu on the west side of campus." 

The food is just as delicious as it smells and something about the easy, almost domestic banter between Hongjoong and Seonghwa has Mingi feeling completely at ease. Hongjoong is full of energy and Seonghwa always seems to know exactly what to say and they're both so, so genuine. They ask Mingi questions about how his first year is going, whether he has a major in mind, and volunteer similar information about themselves. They welcome him with warm smiles and open arms and Mingi revels in it. 

"It's okay to not know what you want to do," Seonghwa says when Mingi expresses his uncertainty in picking a major. "You have time and you have choices. And even if you don't' make the 'right' decision the first time, you can always try again." 

"Picking a major in your first year is overrated, anyway," Hongjoong grins. "You end up picking something that lines up with your power instead of your passion and having to do an extra year because you changed halfway through." 

"And it's fine to take as much time as you need," Seonghwa insists, flicking Hongjoong's temple. "Ignore him." 

"Ignore me?" Hongjoong squawks indignantly. He reaches up to return the favor, but Seonghwa catches his wrist without looking. Mingi laughs as Hongjoong fights to free his wrist from Seonghwa's grip, Seonghwa poking out his tongue playfully until he lets Hongjoong boop his nose in retaliation. 

Mingi doesn't know what to call the surge in his chest when he looks at the two of them, but he knows how privileged he is to be able to witness whatever it is that exists between them. 

* * *

(Something about Hongjoong and Seonghwa reminds Mingi of moments of home, reminds him of a moment between San and Yeosang ages ago. 

Yeosang, who has always run from human contact out of concern of non-consensually transmitting some random piece of data, was running and dodging around a bookstore. San was chasing him, begging for a hug in a hushed shout. 

"Does it look like I give two shits about getting some spreadsheet in my brain?" San demanded as he attempted to grab Yeosang over a display, Yeosang dancing out of his reach. Mingi and Jongho laughed at the two, Mingi's arm draped around Jongho's shoulders. 

Yeosang did end up transmitting something to San when he finally relented and allowed himself to be hugged, but San had merely blinked the discomfort away in favor of crushing Yeosang against his chest. 

Mingi doesn't know what to call the surge in his chest, but he knows that he wants to spread that kind of love to all of his friends.)

* * *

The disadvantage of college is that Mingi doesn't get to see his high-tier friends as much as he used to. It doesn't mean that he doesn't love them or that he's stopped caring for them. It doesn't mean that he's replacing them with his new friends. 

He doesn't know what it means, but he tries not to think about it. As long as he comes home to late nights with Jongho, to weekends with whoever's in town, it's okay. 

It has to be okay. 

(It's not.)

One evening, Yunho shows up at Mingi's door battered and bruised, half-collapsed from exhaustion and eyes brimming with tears of frustration. 

"I'm sorry," Yunho says as Mingi rushes forward, hands cradling Yunho's face momentarily before he shifts to help Yunho across the threshold. "I should have called." 

Mingi assures him it's fine, closing the door with his foot and leading them into the apartment. He helps Yunho lie down on the couch as gently as possible, hand already darting for his phone and Wooyoung on speed-dial when Yunho catches his wrist. 

"Yunho, I can't heal you," Mingi insists. "We need to call Wooyoung." 

"I don't need you to heal me," Yunho smiles, eyes closing. He's so tall, his feet hang off the end of the couch. "I just needed to see you." 

And Mingi doesn't know what to say to that, so he settles for grabbing a bag of frozen peas (when did he even buy those) and his first aid kit instead. The peas go on Yunho's blackening eye and Mingi slowly begins washing and disinfecting the cuts that litter Yunho's arm. None of the damage is hospitalizing, but Mingi's still worried. 

"You gonna tell me what happened?" Mingi asks softly. 

"Wanna guess?"

"I'd rather not," Yunho laughs before it turns into a pained cough. It seems so loud in the quiet of the room. 

Mingi helps Yunho sit upright, sitting by his side once he is. Yunho's head tilts and rests on Mingi's shoulder. It's comforting, being like this. 

"Hey Mingi," Yunho says. Mingi hums in response. "Tell me about school?"

In a lifetime characterized by disappointment, small comforts mean the world.

Mingi's voice fills the room, low and steady as he talks. Assignments, professors, squirrel sightings on the quad, anything that comes to mind. He doesn't grow excited or tell elaborate stories, he talks about the day to day. Small, simple things. 

And if Yunho's hand finds Mingi's and their fingers intertwine, if silent tears stream down Yunho's cheeks, Mingi doesn't say anything. 

He keeps talking about a world Yunho has never known, yet longs for so intensely. 

* * *

Jongho finds them a few hours later, Yunho asleep and Mingi almost dozing, bodies curled together. Mingi blinks at Jongho slowly, taking in the bandages wrapped around his knuckles and the anguish in his eyes and Mingi knows. 

Jongho had to hurt someone today. 

Mingi raises his free arm. Jongho slides beneath it and curls into Mingi's side, burying his face in Mingi's chest. He doesn't cry, but his body shakes for a bit before he stills, breaths evening out as he falls asleep to Mingi rubbing small circles into his shoulder. 

Being a hero is Jongho's dream and sometimes dreams are worth their pain. 

Reality is a pain too harsh to bear alone. 

* * *

Mingi swears to do better. 

If his friends can't have freedom, if his friends can't accomplish their dreams, he'll do it for them. If they can only find comfort in a painting of how the world could be, he'll show the way. 

He'll try to live for all of them. 

* * *

Midterm season approaches and Mingi realizes he's half-forgotten how to study. Trade school was never that difficult and he was home-schooled for most of middle school, it's been ages since he had to properly study for an exam. 

Luckily, Seonghwa and Hongjoong are both at school on merit scholarships and they're happy to help Mingi study. The three of them sit in Seonghwa's favorite part of the psychology building, a nook with a window that stretches to the ceiling and window seat large enough to fit the three of them and their sprawling work. 

("Can I take a nap here?" Mingi asks them. 

"Once you finish your midterms," Seonghwa laughs.)

On a Saturday where Hongjoong's gone to his internship, Seonghwa cautiously asks Mingi if something's wrong as he passes Mingi a coffee from the machine down the hall. 

"You seem stressed beyond school," Seonghwa confesses. "I'm a little worried about you." 

"I'm fine," Mingi says, but it sounds fake even to him. Seonghwa raises an eyebrow at Mingi. Mingi grimaces. "Okay, maybe I'm not fine." 

"Do you want advice or to vent?"

"Both?"

"Alright." 

Mingi starts talking. Seonghwa is a good listener, he keeps his eyes trained on Mingi and he nods and hums to show that he's still listening. Sometimes he asks clarifying questions but for the most part, Mingi speaks uninterrupted for a solid twenty minutes. 

"You're something else, Mingi-ah," Seonghwa says and there's something in his eyes that Mingi can't identify. "Most low-tiers can't fathom being better off than high-tiers, let alone wanting to help them. You're one of a kind." 

Something about hearing Seonghwa say it makes Mingi realize just how strange it all seems and suddenly he's laughing. They're both laughing in the middle of the day, fighting to keep down their giggles as the neighboring students glare at them reproachfully. 

"In all seriousness, Mingi-ah," Seonghwa says when their laughter subsides. "You have a good heart. I think it's really beautiful that you're living for your friends, that you're trying to share this world with them. You're better than the rest of us." 

"Do you think they know that I'm trying to help?" Mingi asks, fiddling with his pen. "I know this way of helping might seem strange, but do you think they get it?" 

"I'm sure of it," Seonghwa says with that familiar kind smile. "I think they appreciate it more than they will ever be able to convey." 

And for a time, Seonghwa's words reassure Mingi that if he keeps doing this, everything is going to be fine. 

* * *

Really, it was only a matter of time. 

Jongho destroys the things around him. It isn't something he means to do, but no amount of Academy training can completely eradicate the bad days. 

It's the worst bad day Mingi's ever seen. He doesn't know how it started, doesn't know what set it off, but Jongho is frustrated on the verge of furious with himself and can't help but break the things around him. His strength practically rolls off him in waves and their apartment takes the brunt of the damage, so Mingi thinks it's okay to proceed as usual. 

How many times has he held Jongho after bad days, felt Jongho shake in his embrace and choke back tears of frustration? Why should this be any different than before? He knows Jongho would never hurt him. 

He's wrong. 

Jongho harshly shrugs Mingi off, except there's so much strength behind it that it throws Mingi backward and Mingi can feel his shoulder dislocating from the force of it. Mingi's back hits the wall forcefully and the sickening crunch of his dislocated shoulder against the wall seems to echo around them. 

It's an accident, Mingi doesn't blame Jongho at all, but the damage has already been done. 

"I'm fine, don't worry about this," Mingi tries to tell him but Jongho's hands are already covering his mouth in horror. "Jongho-"

But Jongho is tearing out of their apartment in a panic of a sobbed "I'm so sorry," the door pulled off its hinges and Mingi left clutching his broken shoulder. 

Hours later, Yunho runs on empty across the city searching for Jongho. Wooyoung carefully heals a stir-crazy Mingi and hisses behind gold eyes that an injury of this caliber takes time to heal correctly, "so don't move if you want to get better and join the search." 

Yeosang and San, amazingly enough, are the ones to find Jongho staggering along the road between the city and the airport they have just flown into. Yeosang calls Mingi and they bring him back to the apartment, carrying him up the narrow staircase. 

Jongho's knuckles are bloody and his sides are a rainbow of bruises from clutching himself so tightly. Yeosang quietly tells Mingi that security camera footage across the city shows Jongho crashing into walls of abandoned buildings, debris falling around him as he tries to reign in his strength. Wooyoung silently begins healing as Yunho and San exchange hushed words of concern in the doorway of Jongho's room. 

They don't ask what happened. They don't question the cracked drywall Yunho found Mingi sitting under of the destruction wrought around the living room. They don't say anything as Mingi tiredly activates his power and begins fixing what he can. 

He would rather destroy himself than not fix what he can. 

He has to do better. 

* * *

A week passes. 

"You look like shit," Hongjoong tells Mingi when he next meets Hongjoong and Seonghwa for lunch. 

"I feel like shit," Mingi admits. His shoulder is killing him. He's drained from using his power so frequently. Sleep pulls at his eyes so strongly, frustration at everything and nothing at the same time. He would rather destroy himself than do the job halfway, but the jobs keep building up. Live for his friends, do better for them. Help whenever he can. Constantly fix everything that's asked of him and more.

He wants to scream. He wants to cry. He wants to sleep. 

He wants to be with his friends. He wants to be with his dongsaeng. 

But Jongho refuses to come within a six-foot radius of Mingi. Jongho refuses to be touched, eyes wide with the fear that he could hurt Mingi again. 

It hurts Mingi more than he dreamed it could. 

"Mingi-ah, what's wrong?" asks Seonghwa, his eyes warm and tone kind. 

In a lifetime characterized by disappointment, small comforts mean the world. A kind friend, an open heart. And it should make Mingi feel better, it really should. 

But reality comes crashing down. 

And it's all so much. 

Mingi breaks down. Tears stream down his face as he bows his head, choking on the sudden onslaught of sobs working their way up his throat. It feels like he's choking on air. He can't get in a single breath. He can't think. 

He just wants to help. 

It's all so much. 

Seonghwa and Hongjoong offer whispers of comfort as they rub circles into his back. But all he can do is gasp and gasp, fingers digging into Seonghwa's arm in a pathetic attempt to ground himself. 

He can't breathe. 

"Seonghwa," it's so soft that Mingi barely registers it. 

"I don't know, Hongjoong." 

"Bullshit. Even I can tell he's in pain right now." 

"I know..."

"Hwa, please. He's hurting himself. Do it for me, please." 

"...for you," Seonghwa says. 

Hongjoong's arms leave Mingi, Seonghwa's arms take their place around Mingi's shoulders. He whispers, "Breathe for me, Mingi. It's going to be okay, _calm down_."

The calm washes over him gently, the soft lapping of waves on a quiet lakeshore. Not demanding, not controlling, a soft reminder of what it means to be calm. A thousand moments come to Mingi, a thousand comforts he has never bothered to identify. And it is this comfort, more than anything else, that brings a rush of air into Mingi's chest. 

His panic isn't gone, the sadness and frustration and hopelessness is still there, but it's not overwhelming him like before. It's like he's taken ten steps back and now there's a friend by his side, helping him face all these ugly emotions. It's not perfect, but he's calm. 

Seonghwa's grip relaxes over Mingi's shoulders, withdrawing gently. Mingi sits up slowly, vaguely registering the snot that's stuck to Seonghwa's forearm and the crescents his nails have imprinted in Seonghwa's skin. Hongjoong helps to ease him up. 

"You're..." Mingi's still struggling to get a breath in, but for a completely different reason as he stares at Seonghwa wide-eyed. His problems are a million miles away at this moment. He doesn't dare raise his voice above the faintest whisper. " _You're an empath_." 

* * *

There have been so many villains over time that only the truly terrible standout. Only the cruelest, the angriest, the ones who inflict the worst pain on civilians. 

Of these, three are taught to children. 

The first was a fire-wielder who lost his mind when he lost his wife and child to a fire he couldn't get to in time. Driven insane with grief and growing vindictive with the jealousy that consumed him when he saw happy families, he tried to burn the world so it would share his pain. His fire singlehandedly killed hundreds before it was put out. 

The second and third were a father-daughter duo, filled with hatred for the world that had scorned them their entire lives. They manipulated people's emotions, gave the population their anger and viciousness, turned people against each other so terribly that brother was killing brother and over a thousand people were dead or injured in their havoc. Those that tried to stop them were turned against each other and it was months before they were finally defeated. 

Their anger is feared more than the fire-wielders insanity. _They_ are feared so much more than children of fire. 

"Empaths," children are taught, "are incredibly dangerous and nearly impossible to defeat. If you ever come across one, turn the other way while you still have your mind." 

* * *

When Mingi was young and foolish, his mother would laugh and tell him that hindsight is 20/20. 

How right she was. 

Because suddenly the world makes much more sense and Mingi understands. He understands everything he's ever wondered about Seonghwa. Why Seonghwa never mentions his power or rank, why he never uses it, why he always knows exactly what to say. Why Seonghwa seemed so touched by what Mingi was doing for his friends that will never know freedom. Why Seonghwa can get along with every person they come across but never be close with anyone but Hongjoong. 

Most of all, Mingi understands the fear in Seonghwa's eyes. Because it's more than fear. 

* * *

"Empaths," children are taught, "are monsters." 

* * *

It's more than fear. 

It's self-disgust. It's paranoia. It's anxiety. It's a kind of cruel acceptance. 

The reality of their world is that there is no place for empaths and Seonghwa has lived this harsh reality his entire life. 

And yet, 

"You're not like them." 

It's a statement, not a question. 

"No." Seonghwa meets Mingi's gaze straight on. And there is fear in Seonghwa's eyes, but there is a hardness too. "I'm not like them. I won't properly manipulate or transmit emotions, I don't want to. I can't help reading them, and I only spread a little calm when it helps. Still..." 

It's enough to scare most people away. Seonghwa doesn't have to say anything for Mingi to know exactly what he's thinking right now. 

"Okay." 

Some things are beyond comfort, but the small gift of acceptance can mean the world. Acceptance and friendship from someone you only kind of know, when you only have one true friend in the whole world, means so, so much. 

And all Mingi can think is that he wants to fix the world because Seonghwa deserves so much more. 

* * *

His brother has always understood him better than anyone else. When Mingi logs onto their biweekly skype call, his brother takes one look at him and asks, "What's wrong?" 

It inspires a whole round of crying on Mingi's part. Because he's so tired and he's so frustrated. Because all he wants to do is help his friends gain the lives they deserve and is that really too much to ask for. 

His brother lets him cry, listens to Mingi talk about everything he's been doing to make a difference and everything he wants to do. And finally, when Mingi has exhausted the weight of the world, his brother speaks. 

"I have always loved you more than anyone else," his brother says. "I always will. I believe in you more than I believe in any other person on this planet, I think that you can do anything. However..." 

The look that his brother fixes him with sends chills down Mingi's spine. 

"That doesn't mean you have to do everything at once. That doesn't mean you have to do everything by yourself. What you're trying to do for your friends is incredible and I'm so proud of you. 

"But I care about you more than them. Your well being is more important to me than theirs. I'm worried that if you keep going on like this that you'll collapse. You have to learn to live and care for yourself too. 

"I'm not saying that you have to stop doing this, I'm just asking you to take a step back. You have to put yourself first and learn to ask for help if you want to keep helping your friends." 

Mingi doesn't realize he's started crying again until the tears are rolling off his chin. 

"I love you, Mingi-ah," his brother says. "I believe that you can fix the world, but that doesn't mean you have to fix it alone." 

* * *

Mingi is so caught up in his head, so caught up in his brother's words, that he loses track of time easily over the following days. He misses classes, he's late to library shifts, and in rare moments like this one, he's twenty minutes early for his literature seminar. 

Mingi's forehead rests heavily against the back of the seat in front of him as he groans. Why has helping his friends become so complicated?

( _Why do I have to care so much?_ he questions before he berates himself. He knows he wouldn't have it any other way.)

"Rough day?"

Mingi peeks one eye open, head tilting towards the source of the voice. It's the boy who can grow flowers when he sings, a third-year taking this literature seminar "for fun." Mingi's spoken to him before, but they've never exchanged names or said much beyond "good morning" and sarcastic "enjoy the reading"s. (The boy's voice is like vocal honey, it soothes Mingi's soul on the harshest mornings.)

He has large eyes filled with mirth, but there's understanding in them too. 

"Something like that," Mingi says with a tired smile. "I'm not very good at taking care of myself." 

The boy laughs and it's like music in the air, it fills Mingi with the faintest feeling of hope for a passing second. 

"It happens to the best of us," the boys says. "If you don't mind, how are you struggling? Maybe talking about it will help." 

Something is comforting about talking to a stranger, an individual completely removed from the situation. So Mingi confesses that sometimes it feels like he's holding the world on his shoulders, that he'd rather destroy himself than not help his friends, not fix the things he can. That he wants to try to fix the world but he doesn't know where to begin. 

"What do you mean, fix things?" the boy asks. 

So Mingi demonstrates his power, his eyes burning amber as he fixes the cracked screen of the boy's phone. Surprise flashes across the boy's face. 

"I've been able to fix things my whole life," Mingi says. "I guess I just want to keep fixing things for the people I care about so that I can make their lives better, or at least easier." 

The boy doesn't respond for a few moments and Mingi worries for a second that he's said too much. Mingi's moments from apologizing when the boy finally says, "Actually, I might be able to help you. Well, maybe not help you. But I can introduce you to someone who might be able to point you in the right direction if you're interested." 

And now it's Mingi's turn to look surprised because he wasn't expecting anything to come from this conversation. Apparently, he was wrong. 

"Really? That'd be great," Mingi extends his hand towards the boy. "I'm Song Mingi, by the way." 

The boy grins and they shake hands. 

"I'm Jeon Jeongguk." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> featuring a cameo from Lee Keonhee of ONEUS. introducing Jeon Jeongguk (Jungkook) of BTS, could anyone else sing so beautifully that flowers bloom?
> 
> i didn't realize just how much of myself i had put into mingi until i wrote this chapter. ahhhhhh. love that for me. (i don't love that for me, i really don't. now i have to confront my problems. argh.)
> 
> as always, you can find more of my lunacy on [twitter.](https://twitter.com/theEmberAnne) i love to hear from you guys, so please leave a comment if you have any thoughts you're willing to share! shit has hit the fan and i'm really looking forward to giving you guys chapter four, hopefully that'll be up in a week or so. till next time <3


	4. Let's Not Talk About Hard Times

On his way home, Mingi stops at a cart with steamed buns and dumplings that he hasn't been to in over a year. It smells just as good as he remembers and has the same kind ajumma working amongst the steaming baskets of deliciousness. Mingi gets an assortment, as many as he can afford with the credits in his pocket, and smiles at the woman when she pinches his cheeks. 

"Eat them while they're hot," she tells him. "They're better for you that way! They'll help you be nice and strong." 

Mingi half-walks, half-jogs back to his and Jongho's apartment with the buns and dumplings, holding the bag inside his shirt to shield it from the early summer rain. When he gets back, the food is still almost steaming hot. 

He dumps it on the coffee table and moves to knock on Jongho's door, opening it slowly. Jongho's in for once, curled into a ball on his bed with his back leaning against the wall. He looks at Mingi in alarm. 

"Hey," Mingi says, holding his hands up and resisting the screaming urge inside him to go closer to Jongho. "Wanna eat? I've got har gao and char siu bao."

Jongho stares at Mingi. Mingi can see him hesitating, wanting to eat but not wanting to get too close. 

"It's from your favorite stall." 

It's from the stall where Mingi and Jongho had their first post-workout lunch together over a year ago. Mingi hasn't been there since, but he remembers how Jongho positively beamed in excitement when they went. 

"The one with the ajumma that liked to pinch my cheeks?" 

"That's the one." 

Jongho decides to eat. 

They eat on opposite sides of the coffee table, food laid out on top of the paper bags and plastic tubs they came in, and both of them deftly picking out what they want with their chopsticks. Jongho doesn't talk much and avoids reaching forwards when Mingi's grabbing food, waiting until Mingi is settled back into his seat and talking before he goes for what he wants. 

It breaks Mingi's heart a little. 

Not so long ago, they sat side by side whenever one came home with food from the carts and stalls that frequent every corner. They would race to scarf down their food and wrestle for the last xiao long bao and Mingi would sling his arm over Jongho's shoulder when Jongho inevitably won. 

God, he so desperately wants things to go back to normal. 

Stop, Mingi tells himself. It's fine. This will take time and that's okay. 

Mingi thinks of Jeongguk and the conversation they had at the end of class as they traded numbers. 

"My friend won't be back till December, so you have time," Jeongguk told him. "Time is good, you have the chance to think things over. Figure out what matters most and whatnot." 

Mingi agrees with Jeongguk, time is good. He needs lots of time to consider his options, lots of time to make a decision about what he's going to do with the monumental problem that is wanting to fix the world. 

And in the meantime, he can work on fixing his relationship with Jongho. It will take time and Mingi realizes now that he can't rush Jongho, he can't expect Jongho to suddenly lose his fear of hurting the people he cares about. 

That's alright, Mingi's willing to wait as long as it takes for Jongho to trust himself again and he'll be there as much as he can. 

Mingi offers Jongho the last xiao long bao with his chopsticks and his heart does a little dance when Jongho carefully accepts it with his. 

* * *

Mingi can hear his brother begging him to take care of himself all the time. 

"I love you," he hears. "Put yourself first. Please." 

Mingi reminds himself that he has time. He has time to think things over, he has time to sort through his thoughts. He has help that's on the way, it's only a matter of time. 

In time, he's going to fix the world. 

"Take a step back," his brother begs. 

Mingi doesn't want to step back, he wants to keep pushing forward. He wants to continue doing whatever he can for his friends. Fixing the world is going to take time and it's best to get started as soon as possible even if he doesn't know where to begin. 

"If you keep going on like this, you'll collapse." 

In a world where everyone has powers, Mingi is so very, very mortal. When he collapses, he collapses completely, dangerously even. 

He can't afford to collapse again. If he collapses again, his brother will call home, he's sure of it. If he collapses again, he'll have to leave Jongho and the high-tiers and everyone he's come to hold close to his heart. He can't afford to collapse again. 

He has time until December, time until Jeongguk's friend comes and helps Mingi figure out how to fix the world. He has time and time is an incredibly valuable thing. 

He takes a step back. 

* * *

Mingi can hardly fault Yeosang and San for never being in town. Yeosang and San are the highest of high-tiers, revered Academy alumni. They have places to be, people to see, mission reports to give. They're important. 

But Yeosang always makes an effort to see Mingi when he's in the area, makes an effort to continue their three-year friendship, and it makes Mingi happy. 

At the moment, Yeosang and San seem to be on some kind of break, the night of Jongho's worst bad day being the first of a month of no work. It's surprising to Mingi, they haven't been working that long, but he's not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

So Mingi invites Yeosang to dinner and Yeosang accepts on the condition they get fried chicken. Half of the time that Mingi and Yeosang go out, they get fried chicken. It's something of a tradition at this point. 

It's nice to spend time alone with Yeosang, who is inarguably the calmest of their friend group and probably the wisest. Their friendship is a quiet, unassuming one. Their relationship is symbiotic. 

(It's strange, but it works, which is also a good way to describe both of them as people, probably.)

"How's school?" Yeosang asks between bites of fried chicken and the question is different from normal. When the others ask, they want to know about the world Mingi lives in. When Yeosang asks, he wants to know about how Mingi's doing in that world. 

"Not too bad, everyone's really easy to get along with. Nice to make new friends and whatnot," Mingi shrugs as he tears into a drumstick. "Hongjoong-hyung and his friend, Seonghwa-hyung, look out for me, so that's nice." 

"I'm glad," Yeosang says as he picks over his fries. "It's good to know there's someone looking out for you." 

"Yeah," Mingi wipes his fingers clean. "You and San watching each other's backs out there?" 

Yeosang only pauses for a second, but Mingi catches it. Yeosang's always been a guarded person, carefully choosing how he presents himself. It's rare to see Yeosang's composure slip so obviously. 

"Yeosang-ah?" Mingi questions. His hand twitches towards Yeosang's wrist. "Sang, is everything okay?"

"It's fine," Yeosang says, albeit a little absently. He shakes his head and his composure returns in an instant. "Yeah, we're watching each other's backs. We work together directly, so it's not that hard to do." 

It sends a chill down Mingi's spine. 

Yeosang and San are the two most powerful people Mingi's ever met. Outside of their powers, they're known to be fast, strong fighters, and dead smart. Mingi's never seen them in action, but Jongho's always told him that when Yeosang and San teamed up, the opposition was screwed. 

"If it was a straight fight, maybe you have a chance of winning if you can avoid Yeosang-ssi," Jongho had said months ago on the fire escape. "If it's anything else, you're doomed. Yeosang-ssi and San-ssi are the kings of psychological warfare, they get in your head like no one else and nothing phases them. No one ever wants to go against them." 

Mingi doesn't want to think about what kind of job Yeosang and San must have if it's enough to phase Yeosang, if it's enough to have them actively watching each other's backs. 

"That's good," Mingi says instead. He goes back to his chicken. "See anything cool?"

Yeosang hums absentmindedly, starts talking about a few of the places he's been since graduation. Roads that wind along rivers running through forests, a country whose structure is opposite theirs, a powerful hero who can control the weather and has a sunshine smile. It's nice to have someone tell Mingi about the world rather than the other way around and for once, Mingi is able to push away his thoughts of fixing the world. 

* * *

Yeosang and San leave a week before Mingi's finals begin. Jongho's at the Academy, Yunho's on a mission, and Wooyoung's on a hospital shift, so Mingi goes with them to the airport. 

In all honesty, Mingi probably shouldn't see them off either. He has a mountain of readings to review and three papers to write, he should be spending all his time with Hongjoong and Seonghwa in the window seat. 

But he doesn't know when he's going to see them again and he cares for Yeosang and San, so he sees them off, giving them both a crushing hug as they head for who knows where. They don't tell Mingi and Mingi doesn't ask, something tells him it's confidential. 

"Look after each other," Mingi says. They share a glance, nod, and smile at Mingi. 

"Look after yourself," they say and it makes all of them laugh a little. Mingi waves until they disappear behind security, completely out of Mingi's sight. 

Mingi prays that they come home in one piece. 

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Mingi spends almost the entirety of finals week with Seonghwa and Hongjoong. The trio spends all their time in the giant window seat, cups of coffee warming their palms as the day stretches into the night and they continue to study, type, write, read, whatever. 

Mingi honestly thinks he's five seconds away from a mental breakdown most of the time, but he manages to keep it together. 

Hongjoong's the one that breaks. He's been dangling by a thread, dangerously close to insanity as he forcefully types with a permanent scowl. At one point he pushes his computer away from him, ugly tears streaming down his face. 

"It's no good," he claims desperately. "I'm no good." 

Mingi and Seonghwa are on him immediately, carefully moving Hongjoong's belongings out of the way and trying to help as Hongjoong starts hyperventilating. 

"Hwa," Hongjoong gasps, hands clutching the sides of his head as he curls further and further in on himself. "Please." 

Seonghwa cradles Hongjoong in his arms as he murmurs words Mingi cannot hear. The comfort and calm seem to emanate from Seonghwa, soft and controlled as Hongjoong lets out pained cries into Seonghwa's chest. 

Ming's never seen Seonghwa use his power outside the one time Mingi had his panic attack, but Mingi thinks it's almost intimate the way Seonghwa will use it without protest when Hongjoong asks for it. It's clear that this situation is familiar to them. It's clear that they trust each other more than they trust anyone else. 

He slides away, down the hall to the vending machine to get coffee for all of them. Something tells Mingi this moment should be private. 

* * *

Time is good. Taking a step back is good, though whether or not Mingi will ever admit this to his brother is an entirely different matter. 

Taking a step back means that when Mingi would have once been desperate to fix things for Hongjoong, desperate to make things easier, Mingi can see the picture better now. 

Mingi can't take away Hongjoong's stress or workload, it's something Hongjoong chose. Sometimes, people choose which burdens they want to bear. 

Taking a step back means that Mingi is reminded that there are some things he can't fix. 

* * *

(He'd still rather destroy himself than not fix what he can.)

* * *

Mingi gets good grades on all his finals and the semester ends undramatically. Summer has never been a time for vacation, it's always been a time for more odd jobs and extra credits, and Mingi plans to work as many jobs as possible. 

He has his library gig, he has the convenience store, he adds on as many odd jobs as possible. Folks with broken air conditioning units, schools that need computers repaired, landlords looking for cheap plumbers, manual labor for city hall, anything that gets him money. 

Sometimes he'll run into classmates on one of his odd jobs and it's always nice to see them. He's a little lonely this summer. Hongjoong and Seonghwa wrapped up in internships, his hero friends spread thin doing work anywhere and everywhere, it's nice to see the friends he made at school. If they're free and if the job is short, Mingi will often go grab a bite to eat with them. Tteokbokki with Minhyuk, ramyeon with Chan, ice cream with Doyeon. 

Ice cream with Doyeon is probably his favorite and it's not just because Kim Doyeon is the most gorgeous girl that Mingi's ever met, though that certainly helps. Ice cream with Doyeon is his favorite because Mingi finds out that Doyeon's like him, that her best friend is a high-tier Academy alumna, and that Doyeon would do anything for this best friend, Choi Yoojung. 

"Yoojung-ah's so bright and full of life," Doyeon tells him. They're sitting side by side on the steps to some important looking museum where Doyeon works as a tour guide, licking at melting ice cream in the stifling end of July heat. "I miss her a lot." 

"I miss Jongho a lot too," Mingi says and Doyeon hums in agreement. Yoojung's running around on missions constantly, Jongho's gone for the summer at the intense Academy training camp for third years. 

Both of them are more than a little alone this summer. 

"If you could fix the world, turn it into something where you and your best friend could be free to do whatever you want," Mingi asks. "Would you?"

"In a heartbeat," Doyeon says. "Would you?" 

"Without a doubt." 

Mingi and Doyeon exchange numbers and head separate ways, both feeling less alone than before. It's nice to be with someone who feels the same way. 

* * *

Doyeon joins Mingi, Hongjoong, and Seonghwa for Mingi's birthday when it rolls around a week and a half later. Mingi's grateful for it, grateful for Doyeon and the chicken coupon she gifts him with an embarrassed smile. 

He's grateful for this moment, Seonghwa grilling meat with Doyeon's help at this barbeque place while Hongjoong and Mingi talk about everything and nothing. He's grateful for the way they all laugh and joke easily, the way Mingi feels connected to all of them. He's grateful to not be alone. 

He's grateful for his friends. 

He wasn't expecting much for this birthday since his closest friends are out of town or insanely busy with hero work, so he's grateful for Doyeon and Hongjoong and Seonghwa for making it so much better. 

* * *

Summer is a time for work, work, and more work. Anything to earn as much money as possible, anything to be able to deposit another handful of credits into his account. 

Mingi probably spends more time working than he does sleeping and eating.

"Take care of yourself," his brother begs, but Mingi thinks that he is taking care of himself. He's working as many odd jobs as he can, he's getting the money he needs to feed himself and pay for rent. He's not trying to fix the world yet, he just thinks about it as he waits for December to come. It will come soon. 

He works as many jobs as he can and sometimes he's out of sorts after a job, but that's nothing out of the usual. Sit down for a bit, sip at some water, nibble at a protein bar, pass out for twelve hours if he gets a day off. That is how Mingi reacts to jobs. 

But this? This has never happened before. 

Mingi's fixing an old generator for an old building that's lost power. It's a detailed job, but it isn't too large, Mingi's sure he's fine. His head hurts, but his head always hurts when he uses his power for so long. 

Suddenly his head is screaming and his vision is flooded with the amber glow of his eyes and he falls forward, catching himself on the generator as he blacks out momentarily. 

"Song Mingi-ssi, are you okay?" the building manager asks, a cautious hand on Mingi's shoulder. 

"I'm fine," Mingi gasps. He pushes himself upright and activates his power to finish the job, he's so close to finishing, but the second he does his body is flooded with pain and his power deactivates as he cries out in anguish. Someone, the building manager maybe, pulls Mingi away from the generator as Mingi tries to unscrew his eyes. 

"You're not well," the building manager insists. "It's okay, we can finish this up ourselves. We'll still pay you. Please go home and take care of yourself." 

"I can do it," Mingi insists, tries to sit up.

"Not now," the building manager says. "I have no doubt you're fully capable of fixing the generator, but right now your health is more important. Go home, Mingi-ssi." 

Mingi drags himself home with his head hanging in shame. 

If he calls his brother, his brother will freak the fuck out. He could call Wooyoung, but there's no knowing when Wooyoung would be able to come see him. He settles for calling Hongjoong, because Hongjoong has done a good job looking out for him so far. 

Hongjoong finds Mingi nearly passed out on a sweaty pile on the floor of his apartment, his face screwed up in pain. He had tried to fix a mug he'd dropped and immediately felt like he'd taken a sledgehammer to the head. 

"Shit, shit, shit," Hongjoong swears. He drags Mingi over to the couch, props Mingi up against the base of it. "Mingi-ah, Mingi-ah? Are you with me?"

Mingi hums because honestly, that's all he can manage right now. 

Mingi's vaguely aware of Hongjoong calling Seonghwa and Seonghwa and Doyeon (it makes sense that they'd become close friends) appearing ten minutes later. He can hear Hongjoong and Seonghwa talking urgently above him, can feel Doyeon pressing a cool rag against his head and murmuring words of comfort. 

"I don't know what's wrong with him," Seonghwa insists. "I'm not a healer! All I know is that he's in extreme pain." 

"Well we're fresh out of healers," Hongjoong snaps. 

Healers, healers. Mingi knows a healer. 

"Wooyoung," Mingi manages. 

"Wooyoung?" Doyeon questions. Of course, she's never met Wooyoung. Neither has Seonghwa. "Who's Wooyoung?"

But Hongjoong understands, Hongjoong's met Wooyoung. He grabs Mingi's phone, starts swiping through it quickly. Mingi's so tired, his head hurts so much. 

"Sleep, Mingi-ah," Doyeon whispers and even though her power of persuasion isn't that strong, it's enough to make Mingi finally succumb to rest. 

* * *

When Mingi wakes up, he's still on the floor propped up against the couch. Wooyoung's leaning over him, eyes burning gold as he smiles at Mingi. 

"Glad you could join us," Wooyoung says and Mingi can see Hongjoong, Seonghwa, and Doyeon standing a bit behind Wooyoung. 

Mingi groans as Wooyoung leans back and helps Mingi to stand. "What happened?"

"You scared the hell out of us, that's what," Hongjoong scowls. Mingi sits on the arm of the couch, his head still spinning. "If you ever do that again, I'll kill you myself." 

From there, Mingi finds out that after Doyeon put him to sleep, Hongjoong was able to get a hold of Wooyoung after half an hour and no less than fifteen phone calls. Thankfully, Wooyoung's shift had just ended and he'd been able to come over immediately. Introductions were made and Wooyoung had just finished examining Mingi when Mingi woke up, bringing them to Wooyoung's concerning diagnosis. 

"Nothing's physically wrong with you," Wooyoung says simply. He's frowning, which is strange. Mingi's not sure he's ever seen Wooyoung frown before. "You're fatigued, but there's nothing I can do about that other than tell you to rest. There's nothing wrong with you." 

"Then why did he pass out?" Hongjoong hisses. "I thought you were supposed to be one of the best healers." 

"I am," Wooyoung glares. 

"Mingi-ah," Doyeon says, stepping towards Mingi and between Hongjoong and Wooyoung before an argument can break out. "Do you know what triggered this? Do you remember what happened before you called Hongjoong?"

Mingi nods and tells them everything. The generator, the waves of pain, the building manager sending him home, the broken mug he'd tried to fix. He feels alright now, just drained and kind of ache-y. 

They seem to know exactly what's wrong with Mingi, though Wooyoung looks more alarmed than the others. 

"What's wrong with me?" Mingi asks Seonghwa, because Seonghwa always knows exactly what to say. 

"It's complicated," Seonghwa explains. His eyes are full of sympathy. "Most low and mid-tiers experience it at some point, although it's usually the opposite of your issue.

"Our powers are extensions of ourselves, a muscle of sorts. Just like any other muscle, you can train it to be stronger and build the rest of your body around it so that you're more powerful." Seonghwa gestures to Hongjoong. 

"Just like any other muscle, it can atrophy if you don't use it enough." Seonghwa gestures at himself and Doyeon. 

"And, just like any other muscle, if you use it super intensely all of the time, it can become strained from overuse." Seonghwa gestures at Mingi. 

Mingi's heart drops in his chest. 

"If I had to guess, I would say that's what's wrong with you." 

Mingi can't afford to collapse again, he can't afford to have a strained power. He took a step back, this shouldn't be happening. He stopped trying to fix things he couldn't fix, he stopped pushing himself so hard. All he's been doing is working, this shouldn't be happening. He needs to start fixing the world in December. 

"How long until I get better?"

"If it was like any other chronic muscle strain," Wooyoung says, expression thoughtful. "Three to six weeks. But Mingi-ah, you've been pushing yourself since I met you almost a year ago and I'm willing to bet that you were pushing yourself before then, this isn't some mild strain." 

"Wooyoung-ah," Mingi interrupts, staring up at Wooyoung desperately. "How long?"

Wooyoung purses his lips. "At best? Three months." 

Three months. Mid-November. At best. 

Mingi barely has time. 

* * *

Mingi can't quit working completely, but he quits working his odd jobs fixing things that need to be fixed and picks up more shifts at the convenience store in their place. He and Doyeon apply to be waiters at a fancy restaurant near campus and wait for the results. Wooyoung and Seonghwa recommend exercising his power slowly every day, so Mingi reverts back to the fixes he used to do when he was a child. Pencils broke cleanly in half, a corner torn off a piece of paper. 

It drives him insane because he knows he's better than this, knows he can fix more than this, but he has to wait. Be patient. Be good. 

Mingi grits his teeth and bears it best he can. 

It was easy to take a step back from wanting to fix the world when he had other things to fix, when he had tasks to keep his mind busy. But now those things are gone and all Mingi can do is think and think and think. 

It's overwhelming. 

* * *

Jeongguk told him to think things over, but thinking doesn't help right now. Thinking makes Mingi feel helpless because he can't fix anything without being blinded by pain. He's useless, he's weak. 

(Mingi has always been weak, but he was good at ignoring it when he had a purpose, when he could fix things.)

Thinking makes Mingi feel helpless, because he can hear a thousand voices around him, talking about all the things he should be doing but can't. 

"Take a step back," his brother insists. "You have to put yourself first." 

"Hey Mingi," Yunho begs. "Tell me about school." 

"Things are going to get worse for Jongho," warns Yeosang. "It's good to know there's someone looking out for you." 

"I can introduce you to someone," Jeongguk offers. "He might be able to point you in the right direction if you're interested." 

"Look after yourself," San smiles. 

"These things take time to heal," Wooyoung chides behind gold eyes. "Hold still if you want to get better!" 

"Very impressive, Song Mingi-ssi," says a hundred different adults in approving tones. 

"In a heartbeat," Doyeon says. "Would you?" 

"Please," Hongjoong sobs. 

"You're better than the rest of us," Seonghwa laughs. 

The world shouts, "Can you fix this?"

Thinking drives Mingi insane. 

"Hyung? I'm home." 

Mingi's eyes tear open, the overwhelming voices fade away. He's in the kitchen, his and Jongho's kitchen. It's the last day of summer. Jongho comes home today. 

"Hyung?" Jongho's head peeks around the corner. He smiles when he sees Mingi. 

God, how long has it been since he's seen Jongho smile?

"Hey Jongho," Mingi smiles. "Long time no see." 

"Figure out what matters most," Jeongguk echoes in his head. 

This, Mingi realizes as Jongho hugs Mingi for the first time in months. As Jongho smiles at him, fear having finally left his eyes, and talks excitedly about everything he's learned over the past month and a half. As they laugh together for the first time in a long time. This feeling, this freedom, this home. This is what matters most to him. 

The world can wait while he enjoys this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> featuring cameos from Park Minhyuk (Rocky) of ASTRO, Lee Chan (Dino) of Seventeen, and Choi Yoojung of Weki Meki. and introducing Kim Doyeon of Weki Meki, the most beautiful woman alive. 
> 
> as always, i'd love to hear thoughts from you guys! you can leave them in the comments or find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/theEmberAnne) and scream at me there. 
> 
> i have more of a plan! wow that's so exciting. fingers crossed i actually can fit this into seven chapters.


	5. With All Your Heart (Well, That's a Start)

To Jongho's credit, the younger doesn't freak out too badly when Mingi reveals that he's strained his power and is effectively a child when it comes to using it. Jongho frets a little more when he finds out that Mingi strained his power from overextending himself constantly over who knows how many years, but for the most part Jongho keeps it together. 

"Only use your power once or twice a day, something small!" Jongho insists. "That way we can build your power back up slowly and healthily." 

"You sound like Wooyoung-ah," Mingi grumbles.

"Who do you think I got these instructions from? Wooyoung-hyung knows you won't listen to him, so he gave your recovery plan to me!"

Mingi thinks it's a little unfair that his friends have teamed up against him, he just wants to use his power normally. Surely it wouldn't hurt too badly. But Jongho's worried and Mingi doesn't want Jongho to worry, so he goes along with it. 

"I'm supposed to be the one looking after you," Mingi protests one evening. 

Jongho pauses and smiles at Mingi. "You've looked after me for the past year and a half, hyung, and I couldn't have done it without you. But I can take care of myself now. Let me look after you." 

It's not the response Mingi was expecting, but he doesn't know why he thought Jongho would respond any differently. Anyone with eyes can see that Jongho is different after the training camp and there's no doubt in Mingi's mind that Jongho is telling the truth, he doesn't need Mingi to take care of him anymore. 

It breaks Mingi's heart just a little bit, but he's never been more proud. 

Mingi lets Jongho take care of him, lets Jongho set the pace for Mingi's recovery, and admires the person Jongho has grown into. 

* * *

It's a Friday night two weeks into the new semester when Jongho bares his soul to Mingi on the fire escape under a dark sky with no stars. 

"You seem happier," Mingi says to Jongho. 

"I think I am," Jongho smiles. 

They're sitting on the fire escape under a dark sky with no stars and something tells Mingi that Jongho has more to say. 

"Yeah?" 

A beat of silence. And then, 

"There was this girl on the same team as me in the training camp. She was really nice, but her power was good for defense so that's mostly what she did. We were talking one night and she told me that if she could switch powers with me, she'd do it in an instant. And I didn't get it, but then she said, 'if I was as strong as you, I could fight to protect everyone I care about so easily.'"

Jongho pauses, looks down in embarrassment. He looks so small right now. 

"I don't know what it was about what she said, but it made me really think for a second. Because I've spent almost my entire life hating my power and being afraid of it. Yeah, I'm strong, but I constantly destroy everything I touch and when I lose control I can hurt people, I hurt _you_ , and that scares the shit out of me. It never even occurred to me that anyone would ever want to have my power. 

"But I think I get it now. I'll never be able to change my power no matter how much I want to. I might never stop being afraid of my power, I might never stop hating it, but I can accept it and make the most of what I have. 

"I've been given the strength to protect everyone I care about and I wouldn't want to give that up for anything. 

"So yeah," Jongho leans into Mingi's side and smiles at the sky. "I think I'm happy now." 

Mingi rests his head on top of Jongho's. "I'm happy for you." 

Anyone with eyes can see that Jongho is different after the training camp. He smiles easier, laughs louder, welcomes hugs with less whining. He has coping methods, he doesn't break things quite as often and when he does, he doesn't lose himself the way he would before. His control is better. He's happy. 

Jongho is happy. 

And Mingi knows that Jongho doesn't need his help anymore, that Jongho isn't a person that needs fixing. Jongho is young, strong, whole. He doesn't need Mingi's protection anymore. 

It's a Friday night two weeks into the new semester and they're sitting on the fire escape under a dark sky with no stars. Jongho is happy and Mingi's happy for him. 

* * *

If Mingi could live in that moment forever, he would do it in a heartbeat. He would live in that singular instant, happiness blooming between them in a world where happiness can be so hard to find. 

But the world keeps turning, so Mingi and Jongho pick themselves up and keep moving with it. 

It's strange, because everything feels slower now. Everything feels much calmer with the knowledge that he doesn't have to worry about Jongho so much, that Jongho can take care of himself. He doesn't feel the pressure and urgency of before. The world is slower now. 

Mingi starts his second semester classes, a philosophy course here, a math class there. He studies in the window seat with Hongjoong and Seonghwa. He still works at the library, but he stops working at the convenience store after almost two years of working there. Instead, he waits tables and collects massive tips with Doyeon, who comes home to late dinners with him and Jongho sometimes. 

(Jongho likes to tease Mingi about Doyeon, no matter how many times Mingi denies anything happening between them because he's ninety percent sure Doyeon's got a crush on Minhyuk.)

The world keeps turning, so they keep moving with it. 

Yunho gets promoted and is only able to hang out once in a blue moon. Wooyoung stops by when he has free weekends to check on Mingi's recovery and grab a meal with both of them. Yeosang and San are rarely heard from, too far from home to call or text often. 

Mingi thinks about what fixing the world means when he wants to fix it for his friends. When Jongho, the person he cares about most, is a person who doesn't need fixing. He wonders if it's possible to fix the world into what he dreams it could be. 

The world keeps turning. 

* * *

Mingi thinks Doyeon is awesome for several reasons. First, she's drop-dead gorgeous but never brags about it. Second, she's one of the most genuine people Mingi's ever met. Third, she understands Mingi and his struggle to exist in two worlds, the world of low-tiers and the world of high-tier friends, and for that Mingi will always appreciate her friendship. Fourth, she once out-ate Seonghwa at a ramyeon cart. It was incredible. 

There are dozens of other things that prove just how awesome Doyeon is, but the point is Doyeon is awesome and Mingi will go along with just about anything she asks of him, including dinner with their same year college friends. 

"You never spend time with the others outside campus," Doyeon scolds him. "It's okay to be close to them too, y'know?" 

So Mingi goes along with Doyeon to their friend groups' (well, if Mingi can even be included in the friend group considering how infrequently he shows up to things) weekly dinner. 

Dinner takes place in a park surrounded by food stalls. Each person is in charge of getting one dish (with enough so that everyone can have a serving) and no two dishes can be the same. The food is laid out on the ground and the group gathers around it in a circle, talking and drinking and eating cheerfully. 

For a moment, MIngi feels a little isolated. Yes, he knows everyone here. He's talked to everyone here, has everyone's phone numbers. But Doyeon's right, he doesn't spend time with them once he's done on campus for the day. He's never made the effort to become close friends with any of them. 

"Mingi-ah!" Minhyuk calls, waving Mingi and his towering pile of satay over. "You've gotta try this char kway teow!"

The circle adjusts, Mingi sits down and puts the tower of satay in the middle. 

"You're a saint, Mingi-ah," Sihyeon proclaims, nabbing three sticks of beef satay as Changbin passes a pair of chopsticks and the lid of a large takeout container full of an assortment of food to Mingi. 

"Don't hog it all," Chaeyoung scowls. She winks at Mingi conspiratorially and suddenly half the satay is zooming through the air towards the other side of the circle, evenly distributing itself on people's plates. 

"No powers at the table," Chan says, his tone bright and mocking that one aunt that everybody has, and Mingi laughs with everyone else. 

And just like that, Mingi doesn't feel isolated at all. He's not sure he's ever had so much fun at a dinner with friends before. It's a constant flurry of food and conversation, easy laughter and races to see who can finish their serving of pad see ew first. It's easy, it's natural. 

Mingi still thinks of the world he wants to fix, the dreams he wants to give his friends. But he allows himself to enjoy this moment for what it is as well. 

And for the first time, Mingi understands what his brother meant when his brother told him to take a step back and live for himself. 

* * *

For the first time, Mingi understands that his high-tier friends can't live through him no matter how hard he tries. That his words, the world he paints for them, can only be a small comfort to them and that small comforts can only do so much.

The only way for his friends to live is if Mingi fixes the world into one where they can live for themselves. 

* * *

"Do you want anything for your birthday?" Mingi asks Jongho when October rolls around. 

"Not really," Jongho responds. He shrugs at Mingi's incredulous look. "I have a big exam the next morning." 

"Trust the Academy to schedule an exam the day after your eighteenth birthday," Mingi scowls and Jongho laughs. It sounds a little off, but Mingi doesn't say anything. 

"It's not that big a deal," Jongho says. "Now come on! Race you to the bus stop." 

Mingi races Jongho to the bus stop in the warm fall rain and laughs. Nothing is better than this, than coming home to moments of happiness with Jongho. 

* * *

Chan invites Mingi to a guys night. Mingi wasn't planning on going, but then Jongho found out about it from Doyeon and insisted Mingi go, citing that "you need to get a life, hyung." 

"I have a life!" Mingi had protested. 

"You only go see your friends when Doyeon-noona's there. Trust me, you don't have a life." 

So here Mingi is. At guys night. Which is just reruns of Changbin's favorite variety show, a shit ton of takeout, and too many beers to count.

("Why are we having a guys night?" Mingi asks at one point. 

"Because the girls have girls night, so we have to have guys night," Minhyuk supplies. 

"But what do they even do at girls night?"

"Hell if we know.")

At some point, the variety show ends and they flip through channels aimlessly as they talk. It lands on the news, a recap of some fight against a villain that's still at large. 

"Wish I could be a hero," Dejun remarks aimlessly. There are murmurs of agreement from the rest of the group. 

A sobering chill runs down Mingi's spine as Dejun's words sink in. He's been with high-tiers for so long he'd forgotten. 

He'd forgotten that high-tiers aren't the only ones who have their dreams ripped from them. 

* * *

Mingi sits with Doyeon in a cheap cafe a couple of blocks down from campus. November had blown in with the cold wind and Mingi was glad to have an excuse to drink hot chocolate more often. He and Doyeon make mindless small talk, talking about everything and nothing, notebooks spilled between them and Mingi pursing his lips in frustration at the seemingly unsolvable equation in front of him. 

"Mingi-ah," Doyeon says, her voice trailing off. 

"What's up," Mingi responds, eyes still trained on his paper. What's he supposed to do with cosecant squared? "Minhyuk-ah wanna join?" 

"Mingi-ah, look..." 

When Mingi looks up, Doyeon's eyes are trained on something behind Mingi's head and her jaw is clenched. Mingi frowns, turning around to see what Doyeon's looking at. 

In the corner of the room sits a small television, open to the news. It's too quiet to hear what they're saying, but the camera quality is good enough to clearly show a small handful of heroes facing off against the same villain he saw on the news at guys night. It's normal for a four o'clock news segment except for the fact that it's live, Mingi doesn't get what the big deal is. 

Then the shot changes. 

"Oh god," Doyeon mutters and Mingi's heart drops in his chest. He thought he had more time. 

(Mingi remembers one of the first conversations he ever had with Yeosang and the apathy in Yeosang's eyes as he said, "At the Academy, you're eligible for hero work the minute you turn eighteen.")

Jongho's on the scene. 

* * *

There is a part of Mingi that wants to throw caution and logic to the wind and sprint for the scene. He can leave Doyeon in the dust, rush to Jongho's side because he cares about Jongho more than he cares about anyone else. He wants to protect Jongho from the world. 

Yes, there is a part of Mingi that wants to do this. 

But Mingi knows this has been a long time coming. That nothing would ever stop Jongho from coming to this point in his life and Mingi this instantaneous moment of conflict. 

Being a hero is Jongho's dream. 

Mingi isn't going to get in the way. 

Mingi clutches Doyeon's hand in a death grip over the next fifteen minutes as he watches Jongho face his first real villain and use his strength as it was always meant to be used. It is the longest fifteen minutes of Mingi's life. 

He reminds himself that this is Jongho's dream. Sometimes dreams are worth their pain. Reality is too harsh a pain to bear alone and that is why Doyeon is holding his hand. Sometimes people choose their burdens and those are their burdens to bear, they are not for Mingi to fix. Some things are beyond his control. 

This is okay. This has to be okay. 

When Jongho wins (because he was always going to win, Mingi had never even entertained the possibility that Jongho might lose), Mingi finally breathes. He releases Doyeon's hand, he closes his eyes and tells himself that everything is okay even though things will never be the same. 

Mingi reminds himself that Jongho is not someone who needs fixing. Jongho is strong, stronger than Mingi will ever be and if he needs help, Mingi will help, but now is not that time. 

Now is the time to figure out where he can buy a cake on the way home, because now is the time to celebrate Jongho officially becoming a hero and achieving his dream. 

* * *

It turns out that Mingi's pretty broke, so Doyeon buys the cake. Mingi protests it strongly, tries to shove the credits he has on him at Doyeon with promises to pay her back, but Doyeon dances out of Mingi's reach every time he tries. 

"Just let me do this one thing for you," Doyeon laughs. She won't even come to the celebration, she has plans with Yerim and Sihyeon and Mingi feels terrible. "It's okay, Mingi-ah! Tell Jongho-ah congratulations from me." 

The cake is good. Vanilla cake and a simple whipped cream like frosting and strawberries soaked in a sugary syrup, even Jongho and his dislike for sweet things can't say no to this cake. Yunho and Wooyoung come with huge piles of takeout of their favorite jajangmyeon and they sit together in the living room, smear frosting on Jongho's cheek and video call Yeosang and San, who smile at them and congratulate Jongho with tired eyes. 

It's warm and happy and good. It's a fitting celebration, a fitting good-bye. 

After this, things will never be the same. Because, as Yunho whispered to Mingi when he came in the room, "he's impressed the higher-ups," so Jongho starts full-time hero work now. Jongho will have to move to the dorms for active duty heroes and Mingi will be on his own. Jongho will become as busy as Yeosang and San and Mingi will go back to his simple existence at school. 

Things will never be the same and maybe that's okay. And yeah, Mingi will never fully stop worrying about Jongho, wanting Jongho to come home safe and uninjured, but some things are beyond his control and this is Jongho's dream. 

Things will never be the same, but at least they have this night to celebrate what was. 

* * *

Mingi's power returns to normal the same night that Jongho moves out. He feels like the world is laughing at him. 

* * *

His college friends know something's wrong, but they don't know what because they don't know Mingi's best friends are high-tiers. 

"He'll be okay," Mingi can hear Doyeon assure the others when they think he's out of earshot. 

And Mingi tries to trust that Doyeon's right. 

* * *

It's near the end of the month when he gets a message from Jeon Jeongguk. 

_You still interested?_

And Mingi stops to think. Isn't that what Jeongguk asked him to do, think things over? Figure out what matters most?

What matters most to Mingi is Jongho, but just because Jongho is okay doesn't mean the world doesn't still need fixing. So Mingi thinks. 

He thinks of friends pulled into futures predetermined by their powers. 

He thinks of Seonghwa, doomed to be persecuted because of a power he had no choice in having. 

He thinks of villains fueled by anger and cruelty at a world that scorns them. 

He thinks of Yunho's parents, torn apart by scandalous whispers. 

He thinks of dreams ripped from every kind of person. 

He thinks of his brother telling him that he doesn't have to fix the world by himself. 

Mingi has no idea where to begin. 

Mingi messages Jeongguk back. 

_Definitely._

He'll do anything to fix the world into what it could be. 

* * *

December arrives in a flurry of sleet and Mingi meets Jeongguk's friend, Kim Namjoon. 

Namjoon is tall (not quite as tall as Mingi, but still tall), with kind eyes and a dimpled smile. He's a low-tier, just like Mingi, with the power to understand any language he's exposed to and communicate in it. A coveted power that landed Namjoon a job as a translator for some ambassador, which is where he's been for the past year. 

"I could go my entire life without having to translate anything ever again and die happy," Namjoon admits and Mingi feels him on a spiritual level. 

Namjoon is also the smartest person Mingi's ever met, something that Mingi realizes within the first five minutes of their conversation. It's not that Namjoon says anything particularly impressive or has the same intimidating analytical eyes Yeosang has, it's just a feeling Mingi gets. A feeling that Namjoon is wise beyond his years. 

Mingi understands why Jeongguk thought of Namjoon when Mingi told his story. If there's anyone smart enough to figure out how to fix the world, it's Namjoon. 

"Hey Namjoon-hyung," Mingi asks when the afternoon has grown late and Jeongguk has long since left for other plans. "What would you do if you didn't have to be a translator?" 

"Marine biology," Namjoon answers immediately. 

"Really?" 

"Really," Namjoon smiles. "But I also love animals, so maybe zoology?" 

"That's really cool," Mingi says and it's true, it is really cool. He's never thought of that before. 

"What do you do, Mingi-ah?" 

(A million moments ago, between bites of fried chicken, "what do you do, hyung?")

"I used to float around," Mingi says. "But that's not cutting it for me anymore." 

* * *

Afternoon stretches into evening, evening stretches into night. Mingi and Namjoon talk. 

Fixing the world was never going to be a simple task, the answer was never going to be easy to find, so Mingi and Namjoon talk. 

They talk for hours. 

Mingi tells his story. Namjoon tells his. They talk and talk, they talk about ideas and wanting to fix things so that everyone can dream without believing their dreams are impossible. They talk about how cruel the world is and how they want to alleviate that cruelty. They talk about places on the other side of the world, places with fewer villains and happier people, and wonder what they can do to make their corner of the world like that. 

They don't reach an answer. They were never going to reach an answer on the first day. 

But when they finally leave, they leave with each other's numbers and a coffee date for the next week and Mingi knows that he doesn't have to fix the world on his own. 

* * *

The world keeps turning and Mingi keeps moving with it. 

He goes to class. He meets with Namjoon, exchanges ideas. He starts signing up for the next semester of courses. He sees Yunho and Jongho on the news fighting villains with increasing frequency. He works at the library and at the restaurant with Doyeon. He goes to the weekly dinner with his friend group. He studies with Hongjoong and Seonghwa. He continues to exercise his power healthily. 

And when he can, he spends time with Wooyoung, the only one of them who can escape high-tier life. Wooyoung, who works endless shifts at the hospital, but doesn't have to go back to the hero dorms. Who heals heroes left and right, constantly overextends himself in a way Mingi is so intimately familiar with. Wooyoung, who is maybe the most powerful of all of them because he can bring people on the brink of death back to life if he has enough time, but has been given just a little more freedom than the others because he can't fight. 

(Mingi is grateful for Wooyoung because he gets the feeling that Wooyoung understands how lonely Mingi feels without Jongho around. And Mingi is grateful for Yeosang because he knows Yeosang is the one who told Wooyoung to look out for him.)

Mingi and Wooyoung don't get to spend much time together, but it's good no matter what. Sometimes they just sit and coexist together, Wooyoung going over patient files and Mingi doing homework, other times they're laughing together, challenging the other to a video game they're both terrible at. 

They celebrate the New Year together, wrapped tightly in heavy winter coats and wool blankets, sprawled on the fire escape under a sky bursting with illegal fireworks every couple of minutes. Stealing sips of beer from the bottles that litter their feet and warm blood rushing through their veins, it's good like this. 

The moon climbs higher into the sky and the night stretches on. A firework explodes in gold above them. 

"Look," Mingi points to it in a tipsy haze. "That one's the color of your eyes!" 

"Dope," Wooyoung cheers, waving at the firework. Mingi laughs and the silence stretches between them as they wait for the next one. 

"Have you ever met someone other than us whose eyes glow when they use their power?" Wooyoung asks. 

Mingi pauses, mulls it over. The only people he knows with glowing eyes are them. "No, I don't think so. Have you?"

"Other healers, yeah," Wooyoung tilts. "But no one other than them and you." 

"Cool," Mingi grins. 

Mingi lies back against the steps and breathes, watching his breath in the cold winter air. It's uncomfortable, but he can look up through the grates at the random bursts of fireworks in the sky. This one's amber, like his eyes. 

"It just, it makes me think sometimes." 

"Think what?" Mingi asks. 

Wooyoung pauses. Mingi lifts his head up to look at Wooyoung's back. He can't see Wooyoung's face from here, but he gets the feeling that Wooyoung's lost in thoughts too deep for the sober mind to comprehend. 

"Wooyoung?" 

"Just, maybe we aren't so different," Wooyoung says. Mingi blinks dumbly. "Our powers are basically the same, y'know? We're both fixing, healing, mending, whatever you wanna call it. Same idea, different application." 

And Mingi's never thought of it like that before. He doesn't know what to say to that. 

"Ah, maybe I'm too drunk to make sense right now," Wooyoung sighs. He throws himself back alongside Mingi. 

"Maybe," Mingi breathes. 

Wooyoung nuzzles into Mingi's side, sighing happily. "I'm glad we're friends, Mingi-ah." 

"Me too." 

"It's cold, can we go inside?" 

"Sure." 

Mingi and Wooyoung steady each other as they rise and duck through the window, into the warmth of Mingi and Jongho's apartment. They tell themselves they'll clean up the bottles in the morning and throw themselves onto the couch. Wooyoung falls asleep in minutes. 

Mingi stares at the ceiling, willing himself to see right through it so he can look at the fireworks in the sky, and his mind races. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> featuring cameos from Park Minhyuk (Rocky) of ASTRO, Kim Sihyeon of EVERGLOW, Seo Changbin of Stray Kids, Son Chaeyoung of TWICE, Lee Chan (Dino) of Seventeen, Xiao Dejun (Xiao Jun) of NCT, and Kim Yerim (Yeri) of Red Velvet. and introducing Kim Namjoon (RM) of BTS, the person we've all been waiting for. oh Namjoon, what a beautiful bias wrecker you are. 
> 
> i love to hear your guys' thoughts! please leave them in the comments or if you want to be [twitter](https://twitter.com/theEmberAnne) mutuals, that's fun too. 
> 
> i wanted to update for Mingi's birthday, although i suppose this isn't the happiest update. but there's hope now and hope is a powerful thing, isn't it?


	6. And I Am Not Alone

Mingi wakes up the next day with a hangover stronger than Jongho. He can't open his eyes, his head is pounding like a drum. All he and Wooyoung can do is let out pained groans back and forth across the living room. 

"Never again," Mingi moans. 

"As if," Wooyoung laughs before it turns into a pained moan of his own. 

He's no stranger to hangovers, no stranger to the migraines that accompany them, but this one feels different than most. His head is pounding with pain, but somewhere in the back of his mind, his thoughts are screaming at him. Screaming for attention, begging him to remember the words Wooyoung said last night. 

His eyes, Wooyoung's eyes. Glowing amber, burning gold. 

Same idea, different applications. 

He doesn't know why, but he files away Wooyoung's drunken ramblings and commits them to memory. He doesn't know why, but he has the feeling those words will help him fix the world. 

* * *

The New Year begins and Mingi keeps moving forward. There are thoughts pressing into the back of his mind, thoughts born from drunken ramblings, but he doesn't have time to pay attention to them. 

There are more important things to think about. 

"Yeosang and San are coming home," Wooyoung tells him halfway into January, a steaming hotpot sat between them. Wooyoung's eyes scan over his phone excitedly, shoving it towards Mingi where Mingi reads the message seven times over. 

"They're coming home," Mingi breathes. He looks up, matching Wooyoung's grin with ease. (Secretly, he thinks both of them are close to crying tears of relief. They've only been gone for six months, but it feels like they've been gone for years.) "Finally." 

Hope (a beautiful, beautiful hope) stretches through him and the thoughts in the back of his mind are so far away because finally, _finally_ , Yeosang and San are coming home.

* * *

Mingi is practically vibrating with happiness over the next two weeks, counting down the days until Yeosang and San come home. He'll meet them at the airport, they'll crash with him for the night and the following day, he'll skip school and the others will use one of their coveted vacation days to escape work. They're going to hang out and be young for the first time in forever. 

It's been so long since they were all together. 

"You're very happy," Seonghwa observes with a laugh. 

"Yup!" Mingi exclaims as he passes Seonghwa and Hongjoong their coffees from the vending machine. 

"Care to explain why?" Hongjoong smiles, accepting his coffee with a small nod of thanks. "I don't know if I've ever seen you this happy before." 

"Not that that's a bad thing," Seonghwa says before Mingi has time to feel embarrassed. "We're just excited to know what made you so happy." 

"Oh right," at another time, Mingi would feel bad about constantly being stressed around his friends. Now, he's too happy to feel anything else. "My friends, Yeosang-ah and San-ah, are coming home." 

"Really?" Hongjoong asks, wide-eyed. "They've been gone for a long time, haven't they?" 

"Over six months," Mingi says. He can't help but grin. "But they're finally coming home." 

"That's great, Mingi-ah," Seonghwa says. "I'm happy for you." 

Mingi feels like his smile must be blinding. 

* * *

When he clambers off the bus and gets to the airport arrival gate, he is more than a little surprised to find Namjoon and Jeongguk there. He greets them happily and it turns out they're also there to pick up a high-tier back from a mission, the son of the ambassador that Namjoon translated for. 

"Who knows, maybe they were on the same mission," Namjoon laughs. 

"Maybe," Mingi laughs. He thinks of Wooyoung's drunk ramblings. "Namjoon-hyung, my friend said something to me during the New Year that's been stuck in my head for a bit. I was hoping to talk to you about it." 

"Sure thing," Namjoon smiles, easy and welcoming. "Friday? (Not two days from now Friday, a week after that.) Usual time and place?" 

"Definitely," Mingi grins. He's glad he has Namjoon, he's glad Jeongguk introduced them even though now Jeongguk is whining about being excluded. Namjoon laughs and tells Jeongguk he's more than welcome to join if he's interested. They make idle small talk and after ten or so minutes, people begin spilling out of the arrival gate. 

"There are my friends," Mingi says, waving enthusiastically to Yeosang and San. 

"Looks like they're with our hyung," Jeongguk says, running up to the man walking alongside Yeosang and San. Mingi catches a "Jeon Jeongguk, you little shit, don't you fucking dare-" before Jeongguk tackles the man, nearly sending them both to the ground. 

Mingi laughs, resisting the urge to do the same to Yeosang and San as he walks up and gathers them both in a crushing hug. 

Yeosang groans about his arms trapped between their chests and San wheezes for air, but Mingi ignores it in favor of squeezing them a second time. They seem to get it, seem to get how much that squeeze holds, and squeeze him in return. 

"Welcome back," Mingi says with a smile when he finally releases them. 

"It's good to be back," San laughs, free and open and it feels like everything's falling back into place. 

"How long are you back for this time?" 

Maybe they'll be back for a while, maybe things can be a little like they used to be. Maybe he can take a small break from trying to fix the world with Namjoon to be with the friends he wants to fix the world for. 

"Same as last time, a month," Yeosang says, lips pursed. 

Mingi tries not to deflate at that. A month is good, but a month is no time at all. He's about to say as much when Namjoon shouts, "Mingi-ah! Come here, there's someone I want you to meet!" 

Mingi pushes away his disappointment and smiles. "Coming, hyung!"

He half walks, half jogs over to where Namjoon and Jeongguk are standing with their friend, the son of the ambassador. Yeosang and San trail behind Mingi exchanging confused mutterings. He supposes they've never met any of his college friends, although Namjoon can't really be called a college friend, he's... Well, Mingi doesn't know how to describe Namjoon. Namjoon is Namjoon, he supposes. 

"Right," Namjoon smiles as Mingi steps forward. "Song Mingi, I'd like to introduce you to Min Yoongi." 

"Pleasure to meet you, Min Yoongi-ssi," Mingi says, bowing his head slightly. Yoongi shakes his hand, giving what looks like a polite smile but feels more strained than anything else. 

"Yoongi-hyung, this is the kid I was telling you about." 

A flicker of surprise passes over Yoongi's face and Mingi can't help but blurt out, "You told him about me?" 

"Well, yeah," Namjoon shrugs. Then, "Wait, does this mean you haven't told your friends about me?" 

"It never came up!" Mingi defends, raising his hands apologetically. "Sorry, hyung." 

"You can hardly hold it against him, Namjoon-ah," Yoongi says. He nods at Mingi and Mingi is tempted to call it an approving nod. "Not many people know how to tell their friends they're trying to fix the world with a complete stranger." 

"I'm sorry," Yeosang interrupts, turning to Mingi incredulously. "You're trying to what now?" 

* * *

In hindsight, maybe keeping everything a secret from his best friends wasn't a good idea. 

(Then again, hindsight is 20/20). 

It's not that he meant to keep everything a secret, it just sort of happened. There was so much happening in his life, so much happening in his friends' lives. His friends are important. His friends are busy being high-tiers, busy being heroes, busy helping the world. 

When was he supposed to tell them?

He says as much to Yeosang and San in the safety of his living room an hour or two later, an hour or two after he'd bid awkward farewells to Namjoon and Jeongguk, and Yoongi had hugged Yeosang and San goodbye. (An hour or two for Yeosang and San to understand.)

Still, Yeosang and San don't understand what fixing the world means. They don't understand why he never said anything. 

"What was I supposed to say?" Mingi asks helplessly. "You guys are heroes, you help the world every day, when was I supposed to tell you?" 

"That doesn't matter," San says. "You could have said anything, anytime. We care about you, we want to help you! You're our friend, Mingi-ah, and friends come first. We'll always be there to support you, all you have to do is say something." 

Mingi shuts his mouth. 

He's reminded of a moment ages ago, near-identical words he said to Jongho in his old kitchen when Jongho tried to apologize for the messes he couldn't help but make. 

"It's late," Yeosang says tiredly. "Why don't we talk about this in the morning?" 

Mingi nods his head, a jerky, silent expression of thanks, and tries not to cry. 

* * *

The morning brings Yunho and Jongho at what feels like the crack of dawn and Mingi can't help but fall into them completely because he's missed them, this, and the way they fall to him tells him they feel exactly the same way. 

"You okay?" Yunho asks with a smile. 

"Yeah," Mingi says. They're here. That's all that matters right now. "I'm good." 

They smile. Jongho skips into the room and falls on top of San, still fast asleep on the couch, with a screech that has Yeosang shooting up from his spot on the floor. San merely moans pitifully and wraps his arms around Jongho like the younger is a teddy bear. Yunho and Mingi laugh from the doorway. It's natural like this. It's fun. 

Then Mingi realizes he didn't go grocery shopping with Seonghwa and Doyeon this week and doesn't have food for breakfast. 

Luckily for Mingi, Hongjoong lives in this neighborhood and owes him a favor. 

When Hongjoong and Seonghwa arrive with steaming bags of pastries and precariously balanced drink carriers, it's chaos. Jongho is belting the tomato song in San's ear as San lamely trudges towards the bathroom. Wooyoung has just arrived and is (loudly) hugging the hell out of Yeosang. Mingi takes the food from Hongjoong's hands, stepping out of the way and allowing Yunho to tackle Hongjoong onto the couch with an excited shout. 

"Thanks for bringing food, hyung," Mingi says to a frozen Seonghwa. "You guys wanna stay for breakfast?" 

"Sure..." Seongwha says, evidently too stunned to say anything else. They work in tandem, arranging the food over the coffee table, quietly listening to the life around them. 

Eventually, Wooyoung appears and drapes himself over Seonghwa's shoulders with a shout of "Park Seonghwa-ssi!" He tries to kiss Seonghwa's cheek, much to Seonghwa's alarm, lamenting how long it's been and how much he's missed Seonghwa. 

"Wooyoung-ssi, we've literally met once before this," Seonghwa protests, trying to free himself from Wooyoung's grip. Mingi can't help but laugh. 

How lucky is he to have friends like this?

* * *

Breakfast is fun, loud. Mingi and Hongjoong introduce Seonghwa to the others and they all seem to love Seonghwa, though Seonghwa remains a little reserved. (Mingi can't blame him.) San regales some of the mishaps he and Yeosang have had working overseas and there are crumbs of food everwhere as they laugh and joke and drape themselves together. Jongho has the faintest smear of jam on his check which Seonghwa patiently wipes off, Hongjoong keeps teleporting around the table just to mess with Yunho, and Wooyoung is screeching at the top of his lungs. 

God, Mingi has missed this. 

He sits back and watches them for a moment, feeling calmer than he has in months. 

"You have to tell us eventually," Yeosang says from Mingi's side, too soft for the others to hear. "We just want to make sure you're being safe and not doing anything stupid." 

"It's not stupid," Mingi says, grumbling a little. He feels the nervousness spiking in him, sees Seongwha looking their way out of the corner of his eye, and tries to take a breath. "It's not like I'm ashamed of what I'm doing, I just didn't know how to tell you guys about it." 

"Tell us about what?" Wooyoung says, having heard the tail end of Mingi's sentence. The room quiets in an instant, turning to Mingi and Yeosang. 

Mingi swallows nervously. 

"When Mingi-ah picked us up at the airport last night, he was with some people who were friends with one of the hyungs from our mission," San supplies. He's frowning slightly. "They said that Mingi-ah was trying to fix the world." 

Mingi can faintly register the understanding that passes over Seonghwa and Hongjoong, the only ones here who know about what he's trying to do. 

"Fix the world? What's that mean?" Yunho asks. 

Everyone is staring at Mingi and Mingi, for a second, can't breathe as the panic begins to crawl up his throat. How is he supposed to explain? Was he wrong to want to change things for them? Has he been foolish to think anything he did would make a difference? 

"Mingi-ah," Hongjoong says quietly, reassuringly. "It's okay." 

"They'll understand," Seonghwa continues. " _You're okay_." 

It's so subtle, the feeling that warms Mingi's body at Seonghwa's words. It's the same as last time, not demanding or controlling, a gentle reminder of what it means to be okay. A thousand moments of being okay, in the window seat with Seonghwa and Hongjoong, Doyeon laughing at dinner with their friend group, the smile on Jongho's face when he said he was happy. It's okay. 

"I'm okay," Mingi breathes. Seonghwa looks a little nervous, eyes glancing over the rest of the room to see if anyone else has noticed, but they're all still focused on Mingi. (He has to keep it that way.) "They were right, I am trying to fix the world." 

"But what does that mean?" Yunho persists. "Fixing the world, do you mean with your power or something?" 

"No, no. That would have been way simpler though," Mingi says with an empty laugh. "If I could fix the world with my power, it would have to be broken. And for something to be broken," 

"It must have once been whole," finishes Yeosang. Yeosang knows this bit. "And the world was never whole." 

"Exactly," Mingi breathes. He just breathes for a second, eyes in the room trained on him, and finds a good place to begin. "I keep meeting people who have these dreams. People from all walks of life, all different tiers, all different powers. They have these small, tangible dreams that don't ask for the world. But for some reason or another, they can't achieve their dreams. 

"Most of the time, it's because their future has been predetermined by their power. It says they're going to be a hero or a healer, a translator or an outcast. And these people are so stuck in their powers and their tiers and the responsibilities and consequences that come with them that they don't even have enough hope to believe they could achieve their dream someday. 

"And it broke my heart," Mingi says. He can't meet anyone's eyes because it's so obvious he's talking about them. He swallows. "Seeing you all not have hope broke my heart. It really did. So I thought, 

"If you guys don't have hope, I'll create a world where you do. I'll fix the world so that you guys aren't stuck anymore, so that no one is stuck anymore, so everyone can have the freedom they deserve and just be happy. 

"That's what I'm trying to do when I say I'm trying to fix the world. I never told you guys because, well, I have no idea if I'll ever succeed and I guess I didn't want to get your hopes up if I failed. But I'm trying and I'm going to keep trying, so please wait for me to show you how the world can be." 

The silence stretches through the room. Mingi's afraid to look up, afraid to see what their reactions are. And then, 

"You'll do it." 

Mingi's head whips up and Jongho smiles like he's just said the most obvious thing in the world. 

"You can fix anything, hyung," Jongho says. "I believe in you. You'll fix the world someday." 

Mingi tries not to gape, tries not to cry. Because fixing the world is his dream and sometimes it seems just as impossible as everyone else's. 

But dreams with believers aren't impossible at all. 

"Jongho-ah's not wrong," Yeosang says a little breathlessly, a tentative smile on his lips. "If anyone can fix the world, it's you." 

* * *

Later, his friends will ask him how long he's been doing this and if he's been doing it by himself. When he admits that he's had this idea for a year and that nine months of it was spent going solo, when Seonghwa and Hongjoong force him to admit to his panic attack and the strained power and the constant stress and anxiety, they admonish him and his lack of self-preservation. 

"You're important!" Yunho shouts, beating Mingi with a pillow. "You have to take care of yourself!" 

"You totally strained your power because of this!" Wooyoung similarly screeches. "Mingi-ah! Rest more! Think less! Doctor's orders!" 

And Mingi can't help but laugh, tears in his eyes as he accepts their admonishments with a wide smile. 

"You're so much better than the rest of us," Seonghwa will say in an off moment and the others will agree in a heartbeat. 

"But no more going solo," Yeosang says. 

"Yeah," San continues. "I don't care if you have this Kim Namjoon-ssi. We're your friends, let us help you too."

"Okay," Mingi says. His chest sings with happiness. "Okay." 

They spend the rest of the day talking about how to fix the world and there's hope (beautiful, beautiful hope) that they can change things and Mingi feels like the luckiest person in the world. 

* * *

"I'm the luckiest person in the damn world," Mingi says to Doyeon when their friend group gets together for their weekly dinner. 

"Yeah?" she laughs, a soft smile on her face as they start piling food onto their take-out lids. 

"Yeah," Mingi sighs. He smiles at their friend group, at the chaos of everyone together. He thinks of his own best friends, the ones who are out doing hero work and giving mission reports and working at the hospital right now. He thinks of the insane plan they've made. He thinks of fixing the world for everyone. 

"Mingi-ah, pass the murgh makhani!" 

"The what now?" 

Mingi purposely puts his hand over the wrong dishes, giggling uncontrollably as Yerim grows more and more frustrated. Soon the others are laughing too, passing her everything except the right dish. 

He really is the luckiest person in the damn world. 

* * *

The cafe that Mingi and Namjoon usually go to is always empty when they meet at five in the afternoon. It's just them, two cups of tea, a slice of cake, and the poor barista forced to listen to them debate philosophy and law back and forth. 

The only difference today is that Yoongi has joined them. 

(The dedicated poor barista of the day is Mingi's friend Keonhee, which Mingi is thankful for because it will make proving his point much easier.)

"What did you want to talk about?" Namjoon asks once Keonhee has delivered their order and disappeared behind the counter. 

Mingi tells Namjoon and Yoongi about everything. How it went with his friends, how they wanted to help. Wooyoung's drunken ramblings. 

("Hang on a second," Yoongi interrupts. He points at Mingi in disbelief. "Your eyes glow?" 

Mingi nods his head in affirmation. 

"Your eyes glow," Namjoon repeats, stunned. "I've never met someone with glowing eyes who wasn't a healer." 

"You know healers?" Mingi can't help but ask. 

"He knows a healer," Yoongi supplies. "Nice guy, super talented. Works in the ER. Squishy cheeks. That's beside the point.")

When Mingi's finished, half an hour has passed and the slices of cake remain untouched. Their cups are drained. Namjoon and Yoongi sit in silence, mulling over Mingi's words. 

"Your friend, Wooyoung-ssi? Wooyoung-ssi. He's not wrong," Yoongi says eventually. "Your powers seem to have the same fundamental concept." 

"Which begs the question: could you have been a healer?" Namjoon muses. "Or could Wooyoung-ssi fix objects as you do? Maybe it's a matter of upbringing?" 

"Either way, it's the same power," Yoongi says. He looks at Mingi thoughtfully. "So why are you guys in different tiers?"

"Why have tiers if people with the same power are going to be in different ones?" Namjoon scoffs before he shakes his head. "Ah, that's too much. We don't even know if there are other powers with different applications."

"I think there are," Mingi says, hoping Namjoon won't lose track of that thought. That crazy, crazy thought about tiers. He turns to the counter, "Keonhee-ssi, can I ask you something?" 

A small crashing sound. Keonhee's head pokes up over the counter, lips curved into a natural (albeit somewhat awkward) smile. "What's up, Mingi-ssi?" 

"Your power," Mingi begins. "Could you explain how you use it?" 

"Sure?" Keonhee says. He looks a little confused, but he props his arms up on the counter and begins to talk. "My power's pretty cool if you ask me. I can steal voices, well, maybe recreate is a better way to put it. I can lisp or stutter or have an accent, whatever the person's speech pattern is."

"Can you create voices?" Yoongi asks, immediately catching on to what Mingi was thinking. 

"Oh no, not at all," Keonhee laughs. "I can only recreate the voices I've heard before and I need to be really listening to someone speak. The more I hear someone talk," and his voice changes to Mingi's, "the better my recreation." 

Namjoon and Yoongi jump a little when Keonhee's voice changes, just like everyone does when they hear Keonhee use his power for the first time. Keonhee laughs a little, still Mingi's laugh, and Mingi can't help but smile. 

"That all you need?" Keonhee asks Mingi, his voice his own. 

"Yeah, thanks Keonhee-ssi," Mingi smiles. Keonhee smiles back and gives Mingi a little salute before he disappears behind the counter again. Mingi turns back to Namjoon and Yoongi tentatively. 

Yoongi's eyes are wide. "His power..." 

"Is fundamentally the same as San-ah's body-snatching," Mingi confirms. "But while San-ah has the physical appearance and mannerisms, Keonhee-ssi has the voice and speech patterns. But they're in different tiers."

"Same idea, different applications," breathes Namjoon. "Holy shit." 

"Holy shit," Mingi agrees. He pauses, gives them both a second to wrap their heads around it. "The tier system is broken." 

"No shit," Namjoon scoffs. "We'll just have to fix that too."

Mingi shakes his head. Namjoon tilts his in confusion. 

"You're not..." Yoongi trails off. His jaw drops. "You are." 

"He's what?" 

"I think we should destroy the tier system entirely," Mingi says quietly. Yoongi and Namjoon look alarmed, Mingi rushes to explain himself. "Think about it, think about it! You're eight years old when you get your rank, eight! Eight years old and your life is decided for you. If you're a high tier you're destined for hero work, if you're not you've lost the chance. If we don't have tiers, give everyone the same opportunities and resources, wouldn't everyone be happier? 

"There's no more taboo marriages between tiers! Your power wouldn't control your future! People wouldn't feel so scorned by the system and so maybe there'd be fewer villains! This could work!"

"I'm not saying it wouldn't work," Yoongi interrupts. "But you're basically talking about overthrowing the government. Besides, we need strong heroes." 

"And our powers are muscles," Mingi insists. "We can train them to be stronger and build the rest of our bodies around them to make ourselves more powerful. Anyone can be a hero!"

"Even so," Yoongi says, rubbing at his temples. "You're still talking about overthrowing the government." 

"Not necessarily," Mingi counters. "We do it subtly, carefully. Take it step by step. Change it from the inside, get the public on our side. Start by making the Academy accept people who aren't high-tiers, desegregate the high schools, and eventually move on to the census." 

"It could work," Namjoon says, shocking both Yoongi and Mingi. "Did your friends help come up with this idea?" 

Mingi nods eagerly. "Every tier contributed to this," he supplies. 

Running a hand through his hair, Namjoon sighs heavily. "It could work. We could do it. But Mingi-ah, you have to know, this will take years. Hell, this could take the rest of your life. Are you sure you're willing?" 

It would be easy to leave this. It would be easy to stop pushing for change, to stop swimming upstream. It would be easy to get lost in the world of college, give moments of it to his friends in whispered stories on dark spring nights, learn to live solely for himself. It would be easy to choose a simpler life. 

Would he feel this way if he'd never met Jongho and Yeosang? If he hadn't become friends with Wooyoung and San? If he hadn't seen the potential in Hongjoong, the sadness in Yunho and Seonghwa? Would he still care? 

Does that matter? 

He's here now. He cares now. Jongho believes in him, his friends believe in him. There's hope. 

Beautiful, beautiful hope. 

("You can fix the world, bit by bit, and turn it into what you want it to be," his brother tells him. Mingi has carried his brother's words and leaned on them for as long as he's had them.)

"Then it will be my whole life." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> introducing Min Yoongi (Suga) of BTS and (re)introducing Lee Keonhee of ONEUS. (the healer that Yoongi and Namjoon mention, by the way, is Jimin. this, unfortunately, will probably be his only cameo.) 
> 
> thanks to you all for waiting so long for an update. some things happened in my personal life and then i had to worry about flying back to school (i am safe and sound in my single. i will kill anyone who tries to make me leave.) so time got away from me, thank you all for being patient! 
> 
> as always, i'm eager to hear your thoughts! especially because i rewrote this chapter four times... sigh... anyways! was the plan predictable? am i insane? who knows. and you can always find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/theEmberAnne) if you want to be mutuals. until next time <3


	7. Show the Way the World Could Be

Never in his entire life did Mingi think he would be standing in an administrator's office, asking about what he needs to do to go to law school. 

But here he is, standing in the closet-sized office of some administrator he doesn't know the name or title of, transcript clutched in his hands and head swimming with questions about law school. 

"Law school is a kind of graduate program," Namjoon had explained to him. "You'll need to get your undergraduate degree first, but I'm not sure if there's anything you specifically have to do, so maybe ask someone who knows."

"If we want to do this properly," Yoongi continued. "Both of you are going to need to get law degrees. It's the best way." 

So Mingi will finish up his undergraduate degree in school. Namjoon will get his online to speed the process up. They'll start law school at the same time. 

Never in his entire life did Mingi think he would end up here. 

But as he passes his transcript to the administrator with a stiff bow, he knows he doesn't want to be anywhere else. 

* * *

Yeosang and San's month is coming to a close when San knocks on Mingi's door on a cool Monday night. 

"Hey," San smiles tiredly. "Go on a walk with me?"

Mingi grabs his heavy coat and a scarf and locks the door behind him. He trails alongside San as they walk through the city, heading towards the river. Nothing much is said, just the comfortable silence of two friends. 

When they start to walk along the river bank, San finally speaks again. 

"You said Namjoon-ssi and Yoongi-hyung agreed to the plan?" 

"Yeah," Mingi's breath clouds in the air. It's colder than usual. "It'll take a lot of time, but we're gonna do it properly." 

"Good," San says. 

Silence again. 

Mingi keeps walking, feet solid against the concrete, eyes trailing over a bridge in the distance. He met Yeosang there, years ago. It was warmer then, and the wind was harsh with an oncoming summer storm. 

He doesn't notice San has stopped until he's several feet ahead. 

Mingi frowns, turns back. "Is everything okay?" 

"What I'm going to tell you," San says instead. "Is something you can never tell the others. You can never mention it. Can you do that?"

"San-ah," Mingi steps to San, a cautious hand reaches out for San's sleeve. "Are you okay? You can trust me. What's going on?" 

And San tells Mingi a story he will never forget. 

It's more than a story, it's a world. A universe, really, and the work that Yeosang and San do there. It is cold, it is harsh. It goes against everything San upholds. 

It is a lie. A terrible, terrible lie. 

And Mingi understands why Yeosang lost his composure when they ate chicken together seven months ago. He understands why San has never used his power around them a single time since graduation. 

Why would you spend even a second being someone else when your job is to lie about who you are? When your job is to lie about what you do, lie about what you believe in? When your job is to lie your way into where they ask you to be, lie your way into the information you need to steal, and lie your way out? When your job is to lie and know that if your lie is caught, you could be terribly punished? 

"I'm telling you this," San says, voice shaking. "Because I don't want you to fix the world this way. Fix it from the inside, sure. Influence the public, fine. But be honest about what you're doing. 

"I can't stand lies. And I believe the world you want to create isn't one you need to lie for." 

So Mingi promises San he never will. 

* * *

("Espionage," Mingi whispers to the darkness of his bedroom. "Their job is to commit espionage." 

And he cries for them.)

* * *

Finals pass in a blur and Mingi's first year of college is over. It's strange, he doesn't feel different, he doesn't feel smarter or more experienced or anything that he's probably supposed to feel. 

He just feels the anticipation of years to come. 

His friends though, they feel all those things Mingi can't quite grasp. They drag him out on a bar crawl, Chan singing at the top of his lungs and Chaeyoung falling into Sihyeon and chaos everywhere. It's fun and Mingi's enjoying himself, he really is, but he keeps thinking about what's coming next. 

"You're gonna get wrinkles if you keep frowning, Mingi-ah," Minhyuk says, pushing his thumb into the center of Mingi's forehead. Mingi jolts back, barely stopping the alarmed yelp that threatens to leave his lips, caught completely off guard. 

"Minhyuk-ah's right," Doyeon says, nodding emphatically. Mingi would have an easier time taking her seriously if she didn't have half a beer foam mustache. "You've been frowning too much. You should smile more." 

"You have a nice smile," Minhyuk wiggles his fingers at Mingi with a lopsided smirk. "Share it with the world!" 

Mingi laughs at Minhyuk's antics, at his arms stretched wide towards the ceiling. He laughs at Doyeon raising her stein, beer slopping over the sides. He laughs at their friends shouting along with Minhyuk despite not knowing what was said. 

"I'll try to smile more," Mingi promises them and reminds himself that even though there's so much more to come, there's nothing wrong with enjoying the now and living for himself. 

* * *

Yeosang and San leave. Gone for who knows how long yet again. Yoongi gets an extra two weeks and then he's off to join them. 

Mingi thinks of them often. He worries about them. 

But some things are out of his control and this is one of those things. Spending time worrying fruitlessly won't make them come back sooner, won't change what they have to do. So Mingi throws himself into his studies and reminds himself that if he does well, the world he's building is one where they won't be forced down that path. 

He throws himself into his studies, he dives headfirst. 

He spends a lot of time with Changbin, the only other person in his friend group who studies political science. Changbin is cheerful and helpful, willing to guide Mingi through the concepts he doesn't fully understand and Mingi is so thankful for that. 

"You don't strike me as the political science type," Changbin comments offhandedly. "I thought you were a math guy. What's with the change?"

Mingi pauses. He thinks of San. 

"I want to change the world," Mingi says. "The best way for me to do that is through law and legislature, so I'll need to understand political science." 

"Fair enough," Changbin laughs. Later, "What are you gonna change?"

So Mingi tells Changbin about a world where your power doesn't determine your future, where tiers are a thing of the past, where everyone is equal and free to become the person they want to be. And amazingly, incredibly, Changbin understands. 

San was right. 

The world he wants to create isn't one he needs to hide away or lie about. All he has to do is show the way. 

* * *

Every other week, Mingi will see Jongho on the news. 

It's the same spiel every time, new villain wreaking havoc somewhere for some reason, Jongho dispatched in a small team to handle it. Jongho fights and works in harmony with the other heroes to take the villain down. 

Every time, Mingi's eyes are glued to the screen until the fight is finished. It doesn't matter how many times Jongho wins, how many times he emerges unscathed. Mingi still watches and worries. 

"He'll be okay," Wooyoung says when it happens at one of their dinners. (It's just the two of them now, just like before.)

"I know," Mingi says. 

He knows Jongho doesn't need him anymore. He knows that Jongho is strong enough to fight the battles that cross his path. But he can't help but worry and wish that those battles would never come Jongho's way. 

"I know," Mingi says to empty air when it happens two weeks later. "I know." 

* * *

Seonghwa is busier than last school year, busier than he's ever been. Busy trying to prove himself to countless superiors that he's good at what he does, busy trying to convince countless companies to hire him for the internships he actually wants, busy trying to prove that just because he's been flagged as an empath doesn't mean he can't be trusted. 

Busy fighting to exist, a fight he will undergo his entire life. 

Mingi can feel how lonely Hongjoong is, how much he misses Seonghwa, and Mingi doesn't know what to say. What do you say to someone who watches the most important person in their life come home wrecked with disappointment every single day? 

And then, 

"They won't trust him if he speaks," Hongjoong says into the warm stillness that exists between them every time they study together. A glance tells Mingi that he's frustrated. "So he doesn't say anything." 

"What do you mean?" Mingi asks, putting his pencil down. 

"He doesn't say a single word," Hongjoong says. He purses his lips. "The flag shows that his power comes through his voice, so he doesn't say anything. Never. The minute he tries, even if it's an accident, they throw him out. Claim he's trying to influence them." 

Mingi feels red, sees red. "What the fuck? That's so messed up." 

"No kidding," Hongjoong scoffs. He sighs, shakes his head, returns to his work. "They say they won't be like that, but it doesn't matter." 

Hongjoong resumes typing, eyes hard as he says, "Actions will always speak louder than words." 

* * *

Mingi could have all the people in the world understand him and he would still choose to talk to his brother over anyone else. He will always choose his brother. 

When he tells his brother why he hasn't called in so long, what he's been trying to do, his brother smiles. When he apologizes, his brother laughs. 

"You don't have to apologize," his brother says. "You're taking care of yourself, you seem pretty happy, you're not alone. There's no need to apologize." 

And Mingi breathes easier, happier, knowing that his brother thinks he's doing the right thing. 

"By the way, Mingi-ah," his brother says when their call is coming to a close. "Have more confidence in yourself. You were born to fix the world." 

Mingi likes the sound of that.

* * *

When Changbin texts Mingi that he has something to share, Mingi doesn't think much of it. Changbin does this to their friend group all the time, sharing random things he's found or made or thought, and while he's never done it to Mingi individually, it's really nothing out of the blue. 

Needless to say, he's a little surprised when Changbin slaps a ten-page essay onto their shared lunch table. 

"What's this?" Mingi asks. 

"I got drunk," Changbin explains. "And I kept thinking about what you're trying to do and how awesome I think it is. I really wanted to share it with people. So I wrote an essay arguing how flawed the tier system is." 

"No way," Mingi says, ignoring his japchae and pulling the papers closer. He scans the first page rapidly. "It doesn't read like you were drunk." 

"I edited it while sober," Changbin shrugs. "But yeah, I wrote that. If you're willing, I'd like to publish it with you." 

And Mingi has to ask Changbin if he's sure he's willing to publish, if he's sure he's willing to share his thoughts publicly. Even if they do this anonymously and this technically isn't treasonous, it's pretty damn taboo. 

"I'm sure," Changbin says. 

"Okay," Mingi breathes. "There's just one thing we have to do first." 

* * *

They take the essay to Namjoon. Namjoon reads it over, adds his thoughts. Mingi adds some of his thoughts. Together, the three of them edit and condense it into something manageable. 

"Are you sure?" Namjoon asks them. 

They're sure. 

Distribution is something of a mess. One of the editors for the university paper, Kyulkyung, owes Mingi a favor, so they're guaranteed to be published there. They send excerpts to both the local papers and the major ones on a whim. They send it to academic journals and magazines. Changbin uses his duplication power to create countless copies that they'll leave anywhere, everywhere, on the off chance someone picks it up. 

Realistically, Mingi knows that this probably won't gain much attention. But he doesn't need much attention, he doesn't need anything big. Not right now. Right now, all he needs is for someone to read it and tuck it into the back of their mind where it can fester and maybe, just maybe, grow into support. 

"I could totally write more of these," Namjoon says. "There's a lot of content to be covered." 

"I'd like to write more too," Changbin offers. Namjoon nods and then Changbin turns to Mingi. "We should tell our friends, Mingi-ah, I bet they'll want in on this. And I've got some dongsaengs that might be able to help too." 

"We could use more people on our side," Namjoon pipes up. "I've got a few friends as well, even some heroes." 

"Okay," Mingi says, a grin sliding across his face. "Okay. Why not? Spread the word." 

He doesn't have to fix the world alone. 

* * *

Mingi spends so much time studying and thinking about the world he's trying to build, the giant problems he's trying to solve, that sometimes he's surprised when he remembers the little everyday problems. Things like the patron who tries to pay with a check every time he comes into the restaurant, the squeak of his chair when he shifts a certain way in his government class, the cyclical existentialism that seems to have consumed all of his same year college friends. 

"What am I going to do with my life?" Doyeon says, sprawled on the (arguably sticky) floor of the restaurant break room. 

"What do you mean?" Mingi asks. He's blinking repeatedly (he just got glasses and the whole world feels new), swiveling his head and feeling very much like an owl. 

"What am I going to do? What am I doing now?" Doyeon speaks to the ceiling. "Look at you! You're working on fixing the goddamn world! I haven't declared, I have no plan for the future, I drunk texted Yoojung-ah. What am I doing with my life?" 

"It's gonna be okay," Mingi says, secretly wondering what kind of owl he would be. Tawny? Screech? The options are endless. "Wait, you drunk texted Yoojung-ssi? Why is that a problem?" 

"I drunk texted Yoojung-ah," Doyeon groans, abruptly sitting up and digging the heels of her palms into her eyes. "I drunk texted Yoojung-ah and told her _everything_." 

"Isn't Yoojung-ssi your best friend? Doesn't she know everything anyway?" He's still so lost. 

"Mingi-ah," Doyeon says, exasperated. "I told her everything, including my crush on her." 

"Oh," Mingi says. He nods his head in understanding. "Wait, you have a crush on Yoojung-ssi? I thought you liked Minhyuk-ah?" 

Doyeon laughs, a little choked up and more than a little incredulous. "I'm gay! So is Minhyuk-ah! He likes Sanha-oppa, we've been commiserating for months." 

Mingi blinks at her and Doyeon laughs again and again and again until she's crying with laughter at the absurdity of it all and it's definitely time for them to get back to waiting tables. 

Mingi spends so much time studying and thinking about the world that sometimes, he feels like he's going to lose his mind. But then there are moments like this, tiny moments that hold entire universes, and he thinks that everything he's going through is worth it if everyone could have moments like this. 

* * *

One essay talks about the power as a muscle, the idea of the power atrophying from disuse. It talks about being afraid of your power, of abusing your power, and how that tears at you for your entire life. It talks about wanting to be strong but being unwilling to try because of what that strength would mean. It talks about the fear of never being loved because the power has designated you as an outcast. 

"All you want," it reads, "is for people to look past the power you have no choice in owning. All you want is to be seen for who you are, not for who your power says you could be."

It's one essay amongst dozens, but it's the best with a doubt. 

* * *

Mingi sees his friends everywhere. 

(Not literally, of course. 

But he sees them everywhere.)

When Doyeon tugs on the hem of another waiter's shirt and guides them out of the aisle, Mingi sees Seonghwa and Hongjoong. When Keonhee pays attention to others with his whole being, Mingi sees San. When Yerim tilts her head ever so slightly before she smiles, Mingi sees Yunho. 

He sees his friends everywhere. 

He didn't realize he had come to know them so well that he could identify something as small as the way someone shrugs a bag onto their shoulder as being so distinctly Yeosang. That he could see echoes of Wooyoung in the way a stranger brushed his hair out of his face. 

(He sees Jongho most of all. He sees Jongho in people adjusting the cuffs of their shirts, in the polite gait of someone asking him for help. He sees Jongho in the glances of eager children, in the faint whoosh of a friend's hair as they turn around quickly. Every day, he sees Jongho.)

He sees his friends everywhere, like he's always searching for their presence and their comfort. He wishes they could be together more. 

Someday, when the world is fixed and they're all together again, he won't have to search for them anymore. 

* * *

Not all of their friends write. Not all of their friends are in the position to write. Some aren't of age, some don't understand, some are heroes with behavioral expectations weighing down on them. 

Not all of their friends write, but all of their friends are willing to listen. All of their friends have thoughts, opinions, most of which are positive. All of their friends are willing to pass it on. 

The amazing thing about word of mouth is that it spreads like a wildfire. Every tier, every power, every age has the potential to hear their crazy ideas. Heroes, cashiers, office workers, politicians, students, baristas. Through whispered gossip, drunken ramblings, philosophical musings, unintentional eavesdroppings. The amazing thing about word of mouth is that it has the potential to spread everywhere. 

"It's made it to the top," Namjoon tells Mingi with a breathless smile. "I heard from my childhood friend, the one who's in the top ten heroes." 

Mingi searches his memory. A powerful hero with a sunshine smile, capable of controlling the weather. "The storm bringer?" 

"Yes, Hoseok!" Namjoon exclaims. "He told me that when the top heroes were having dinner at the dorms, someone brought it up." 

"No way," Mingi's jaw drops. "Really?" 

"Really," Namjoon says. "Well, okay, they kind of think it's crazy. They probably think we're mad. But Hoseok-ah says they can't help but be intrigued because the mindset of so many heroes is that they have to be heroes or no one else will. Think about it, the minimum hero contract is ten years. Ten years of thinking that you're the only one strong enough to do this and just waiting for the next generation to come along. Then there's this idea that anyone can have the strength of a hero-"

"And they realize they wouldn't have to be heroes if they didn't want to!" Mingi finishes. He's jumping with excitement. "They probably think we're crazy but they might not be opposed!" 

"They might not be opposed!" Namjoon cheers. Mingi cheers with him and he feels weightless. 

The amazing thing about word of mouth, about spreading the whisper of an idea, is that it's potential is limitless. 

* * *

Mingi and Namjoon spend a lot of time (talking, theorizing, thinking) in Mingi's apartment. Namjoon crashes when the night is closer to being morning and sleeps on the couch. Mingi often falls asleep half on top of the coffee table. 

"Your bedroom is literally three meters away," Namjoon points out after one instance. "Why don't you sleep in your bed? Do you have an invisible roommate staying there or something?" 

Mingi pauses, cups of coffee tilting ever so slightly in his hands. 

"It's just me," he admits. "No roommates, just me." 

"What, no roommate at all?" Namjoon stretches his arms towards Mingi and carefully (carefully, especially after the last three mugs) takes his coffee. "You mean to tell me that I could have been crashing in a bed instead of on your couch this entire time? That's cruel, Mingi-ah." 

"No, sorry," Mingi says before he's even processed the statement fully. "Sorry. You can have mine if you want, but the other one's unavailable." 

The other room is Jongho's. Jongho who still sends Mingi rent money every month from his hero earnings and always tries to pay for Mingi's rent as well, though Mingi never lets him. Jongho who risks injury and fights villains every week. Jongho who Mingi worries about endlessly, loves and cares for recklessly. 

The other room is Jongho's and Mingi knows that someday, Jongho will come home. 

"It's okay," Namjoon says. He seems to get it. "Your couch is pretty comfortable anyways." 

* * *

Yeosang and San are rarely heard from, too far from home to call or text often. 

When Mingi gets a call from Yeosang in the middle of weekly dinner with his same year college friends, he's so shocked that he drops his phone. Dejun's quick reflexes are the only thing that saves Mingi's phone from drowning in green curry. 

"Yeosang-ah," Mingi says the second he accepts the call, trying to untangle his long legs from beneath him and vividly aware of the eyes trained on him. "What the hell?" 

"Hello works just as well, strangely enough," Yeosang laughs. 

Instantly, everything feels so natural. 

Mingi finally stands and begins to walk away from the group. "Sorry, I'm just surprised. You never call when you're out of the country." 

"I know," Yeosang says. "But it's a special occasion, so I figured one call wouldn't hurt." 

Special occasion? Did they finish their mission? Do they get to come home? The questions are seconds from spilling out of his mouth when his brain finally catches up. 

Oh. 

Of course. 

"I've never heard you call it a special occasion before," Mingi laughs. "It's really more like an anniversary, isn't it?" 

"That's way too domestic," Yeosang says, sounding extremely disgusted. "It's not like we're dating." 

"You're the one who's calling to celebrate the four-year mark of the day we first met," Mingi teases. He leans against a tree, tucks his free arm under the other elbow. "That's extremely domestic!" 

"Excuse me for respecting our friendship," Yeosang scoffs. "When have you ever done anything this nice for me?" 

"I'm sorry, whose couch do you crash on every time you're in town?" 

They laugh and a comfortable silence passes between them, a comfort that spans the world. 

"I probably have to go soon," Yeosang says and Mingi can hear voices in the background, including one that sounds a whole lot like a pissed off Yoongi. "I just wanted to call and say hi. Thanks for being my friend, Mingi-ah." 

"I keep telling you that you don't have to say that," Mingi smiles. 

"Old habits are hard to break," Yeosang says unapologetically. "I'm coming, I'm coming! Sorry, Mingi-ah, I guess I've really got to go." 

"Be safe," Mingi says. "And Yeosang-ah!" 

Yeosang doesn't say anything, but Mingi knows he's still there. 

"Happy Birthday." 

Mingi can feel Yeosang's smile. "Thanks, Mingi-ah. Hopefully, I'll be home for yours." 

Yeosang hangs up and Mingi takes a moment to breathe under the tree. He pushes himself and heads back for his friends. When they ask him what that was about, he only smiles and brushes it aside. 

Just a friend, he thinks to himself. Just a reminder. A friend that told him that if anyone can fix the world, it's him. A reminder to be proud of where they are now and how far they've come. 

* * *

Mingi hadn't realized how quickly time was passing. Between his studies and the chaos of being young with his friends and writing essays and meeting so many new people and working his restaurant and library shifts and just living life the best he could, he'd been completely consumed. And now the first semester of his second year is over and he's halfway into the summer break. 

It feels good. 

"What's up?" Wooyoung asks, sunglasses perched on his head and popsicle resting on his lips. "You look like you've got a lot going on up there." 

"I just," Mingi searches for the right words to express the feeling in his chest. "I just realized I'm really happy with where I am." 

Wooyoung sits up against the fire escape, popsicle dripping over his hand. "Yeah?" 

Mingi smiles at nothing. 

"Yeah," Mingi decides. Because fixing the world and living for himself go hand in hand. "I'm really happy." 

* * *

What happens next is something of a blessing in disguise. 

He's walking through the north end of the city with Jeongguk (the elder having offered to buy him skewers as a means to sit and catch up) when they run into Keonhee on his way to a shift at the cafe Namjoon and Mingi frequent. They're all walking the same way, slowly finding out how to communicate as a trio, which is roughly when the villain appears. 

The villain appears, like most villains do, out of nowhere. Mingi doesn't know who she is, what she wants, but he doesn't have to be an empath to know she's angry. She's practically burning with hatred and there is a whirlwind of glass around her, her power shattering windows and bringing the damage around her in a fearsome tornado that occasionally shoots deadly shards towards screaming passerby. 

"Get down!" Jeongguk yells, shoving Mingi and Keonhee behind what looks like a giant rock but is probably some piece of abstract modern art. Jeongguk only barely makes it behind the structure before there are three giant sheaths of glass piercing the place he had been standing. 

"Shit!" Mingi grabs Jeongguk, pulls him closer. 

The three of them are squeezed together, huddled tightly behind this structure, desperately trying not to get hurt. People are screaming, running, crying out in pain as the glass slices their skin. Mingi feels frozen in place. 

"Where's a hero when you need it?" spits Keonhee viciously. 

"Give them ten minutes and they'll show up," Jeongguk says, gasping for breath. "God, I hate relying on them." 

("Actions will always speak louder than words," Hongjoong says to him.)

"Anyone can be a hero," Mingi mutters. 

"What's he on about?" 

"Hell if I know." 

(Jongho smiles, "I believe in you.")

Mingi's head snaps up. Right now, his power is useless. He's not built for this, he's not a fighter. But maybe, just maybe...

"Can you do more than flowers?" Mingi asks Jeongguk, who looks completely lost. "Your power, can you do more than flowers?"

"I, what, yeah? I can do any plant if the song is right," Jeongguk says. "I'm sorry, how is this relevant?" 

This might work. 

"I have an idea," Mingi breathes, eyes wide. 

It's an idea that will very possibly not work. This will very possibly get them all killed or maimed or otherwise seriously injured. But it's an idea and at the very least, it can buy the other civilians time to run away until the heroes arrive. 

(And who knows, maybe it'll work.)

It only takes a couple of seconds to explain his idea, Jeongguk looking absolutely terrified until Keonhee offers his power as support. But they understand the idea and they're willing to try. All they need to do is try. Jeongguk nods at them, closes his eyes, and steps out from behind the structure. 

He starts to sing. 

Maybe the song has words, maybe it doesn't. Honestly, the song is so beautiful that it doesn't matter. The melody starts soft, tentative almost, and the cherry blossom trees that line the street begin to rapidly bloom despite the season. Jeongguk's voice grows stronger, more confident, and the trees are slowly beginning to grow, branches curling towards the sky as the flowers swarm in the wind of Jeongguk's song. 

Slowly, Mingi and Keonhee emerge from behind the structure to stand behind him. 

Keonhee opens his mouth and it's Jeongguk's voice that comes out, singing the same beautiful song in a round that makes the song exponentially stronger. The branches of the trees move fluidly, rapidly lengthening tendrils that take on a life of their own and reach for the villain who's only just catching on. She shouts in anger, broken glass shooting towards the three of them. The roots of the trees are tearing out of the ground, racing to protect them.

It's not fast enough.

So Mingi ignores the part of his brain that's screaming for him to hit the deck and instead follows one of the stupidest ideas he's ever had. He steps forward, puts his hands out in front of him, and activates his power in the second before the glass hits him (willing everything to go back to its place, willing the glass to fix). He's not quite fast enough, he's more than a little sliced up. His arms are covered in cuts and there's a nasty line of blood trickling down the side of his face, but the glass has stopped, hovering in mid-air, torn between his repair and the villain's destruction. 

He's not strong enough to put it back, he's not strong enough to fix this. 

He's strong enough to prevent this villain from destroying things further. 

The song grows louder and the branches of the cherry blossom trees wrap around the villain, bind her arms to her side as she's blinded by gusts of flowers and the roots wrap around her ankles, holding her in place. Her arms must be how she controls her power, because suddenly Mingi has control of the broken glass and there is so, so much of it that he can barely hold on. 

Mingi is vaguely aware of the song changing and someone else arriving at the end of the road as he takes a few steps into the street. He steadies his stance, his eyes burning with the strain of keeping all this broken glass in his control, and his hands move through the air as he coaxes everything back where it came from. It's terrible, his body is screaming, but he can do this. He's fixed shattered windows a hundred times over, he can fix this. 

When he finishes, the road is still torn up by the roots of the cherry trees, but the glass is back. He's panting for air and soaked in blood and sweat, but he fixed what he could. 

He turns back to Jeongguk and Keonhee, both still singing but with proud smiles tearing across their faces. 

It actually worked. 

"Mingi-ah?" 

Yunho stands at the end of the street, other heroes beginning to appear behind him, staring at the three of them incredulously. 

Mingi smiles tiredly. "Hey." 

* * *

The authorities have a million questions for them in the aftermath of the villain. They could have been injured, why didn't they run? Why didn't they stay out of the way? What did they think they were doing, trying to fight a villain when they knew heroes had to be on the way?

"You guys were too slow," Jeongguk grins and Mingi resists the urge to laugh at the affronted look on Yunho's face. 

In the aftermath of the villain, there are a thousand things to do. Injuries (mostly Mingi's) to be treated, family and friends to call and reassure that they're okay. Mingi is thinking of all of the essays he's going to write, about how there's an example now, about what this means. 

There's a viral video of them, captured by some civilian hiding on the opposite side of the street. There are dozens of networks that want them on their shows, there are tons of newspapers that want quotes and interviews. There are people on the street that whisper when the three of them are seen, children that point to them excitedly. 

"The low-tiers powerful enough to take down a villain," they say. 

"I'm not that powerful," Mingi will laugh. "Really, I'm no more powerful than anyone else." 

* * *

In a world where everyone has powers, Mingi isn't very powerful. 

He doesn't have super speed or healing powers. He can't become a hero. He can't do a lot of things. 

But he can see what's broken in the world and find a way to fix it. He can show the world a real glimpse of what it can be.

And that's good enough for him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> featuring cameos/mentions from our usual 99-squad, Joo Kyulkyung, Yoon Sanha of ASTRO, and Jung Hoseok (J-Hope) of BTS. on a scale of 1-10, how much did my hobi bias leap out when mentioning his powers? 
> 
> okay so i realized i totally forgot to mention this in last chapter's note, sorry about that. anyways, um, this chapter is the last chapter? all we have left is an epilogue? maybe it seems a little sudden, but really we're basically at the end. for me at least, this story was always more about mingi than about fixing the world, but i understand some of you want to see what the world ends up being. 
> 
> that's why there's an epilogue :D
> 
> but really, mingi has come so far? im so proud of him? ugh, i love him so much? do you love him? i hope you do. please leave your thoughts down in the comments and, as always, you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/theEmberAnne) if you want to be mutuals. 
> 
> see you in the epilogue <3


	8. Epilogue: Come Home With Me

**12 Years Later**

The ramyeon cart where Mingi and Namjoon get lunch every Wednesday is situated almost perfectly between their offices. No one knows them there, save the halmeoni who knows them by their orders, which is just the way they like it. Plus the noodles are always cooked perfectly, never soggy or stiff, sitting in a steaming broth that's great for cold winter days (like this one) where they stand around the tiny outdoor tables slurping noodles as if their lives depend on it. 

"You're late," Namjoon says, passing Mingi a pair of chopsticks and pushing a bowl his way. 

"I'm barely late," says Mingi as he lifts the lid and his glasses instantly fog from the hot, fragrant steam. "Besides, it was your turn to pay this week anyways."

"Still late," Namjoon sings. 

"You're insufferable, hyung." 

"Thank you, I try." 

Conversation is abandoned in favor of eating. They slurp their ramyeon loudly, raising their bowls to shovel noodles directly into their mouths and drain as much of the broth as general. Mingi orders a hot tea that fogs up his glasses every time he takes a sip and reminds himself that winter has only just begun, he should start carrying his tea thermos everywhere and maybe switch back to contacts. 

"The schools seem to be doing pretty well," Namjoon comments when a handful of uniformed high schoolers walk past. They're laughing loudly, using their powers openly. When the two of them were high schoolers, that never would have happened. 

"Let's hope it stays that way," Mingi says, scraping at the bottom of his styrofoam bowl. "Desegregating the high schools two years ago is one thing, pushing to desegregate the division of classes nationwide by the next school year is entirely different." 

"Oh, I don't know, the incoming high schoolers are at the forefront of a new generation, so to speak," Namjoon says in a way that is so distinctly Namjoon it mildly irritates Mingi. "They were raised in a world debating our ideas, _your_ ideas. With any luck, there's been some impact." 

"You sound unbelievably pretentious." 

"Rude," Namjoon steals a sip of Mingi's tea. He makes a face as he swallows and Mingi feels mollified. "If this last step goes well, all that's really left is the census." 

"You say that like we haven't been working on the census for the past ten years," scoffs Mingi. "At this rate, the only way it'll get done is through executive order." 

"Now there's an idea," Namjoon laughs. "Executive order. Want to run for president, Mingi-ah?" 

"Better you than me," Mingi can't help but scoff. Namjoon laughs again, the creases around his eyes deeper than before. 

They're old now, or at least older. Mingi forgets that sometimes. Sometimes he feels like they're still 19 and 24, sitting in that cafe they always frequented, tossing ideas back and forth while Jeongguk and Keonhee groan from opposite sides of the counter. 

Namjoon and Mingi's phones go off simultaneously, pulling Mingi from his thoughts. He heaves a sigh with Namjoon. Work beckons. 

"I'm getting drinks with our _favorite_ members of the National Assembly later," Namjoon calls as they wave each other off. "You should come." 

"I have dinner plans," Mingi shouts. "Also, my favorite member of the National Assembly is Choi San. But have fun third-wheeling with Hoseok-ssi and Yoongi-ssi!"

Namjoon groans and Mingi laughs as he heads back to the Ministry of Power Regulation, where an office full of work awaits him. 

* * *

Everything was waiting to snap. It was like the world had been stretched for years before they even started, pulled tight like a rubber band, the tension increasing with every paper published, every interview had. 

Jeongguk, Keonhee, and Mingi take down the villain. When the umpteenth network asks how they did it, when what feels like the thousandth interviewer expresses their doubt, Mingi loses it. 

"What do you mean, how?" Mingi laughed ruthlessly. "Who says low-tiers and mid-tiers aren't strong enough to bring down villains? Who says the heroes are better than us? What makes us so different?"

Snap. 

Everyone was clamoring for more. Mingi let himself be brutally honest, straight-forward, and wildly controversial in the interviews and testimonies he gave. People scrambled for the papers that Namjoon, Changbin, and the others published. The ideas spread. 

People started to join their side. People started looking for ways to change the world. 

People questioned the tiers. People questioned the efficiency of the current hero system and hypothesized changes. People became less afraid of talking to those outside their tier. 

The best part? 

The best part was that while everyone used to wait ten minutes for the heroes to arrive and deal with the villain at hand, some started stepping up instead. 

Chaeyoung uses her power to summon debris out of the way and get civilians to safety under the threat of a collapsing building. Hongjoong and Yunho end up teaming up to take down a trio, their powers and fighting styles combining beautifully, as if they were always meant to be a team. A high school third year, with the most fascinating adaptation power Mingi has seen to this day, leads a handful of her classmates against a villain trying to flood the subways. 

Perhaps most beautifully of all, Doyeon takes a villain down all by herself. No fighting, no violence, no damage, just calmly talking one person off the ledge of destruction. 

A world emboldened by their actions and Mingi's words is a daring one. It's as if the world is finally lifting its head to its own potential and demanding change. It's fast, it's insanely fast, Mingi almost gets whiplash from it. 

"Why are you so surprised?" Namjoon laughs on the days Mingi seems particularly amazed. "If you can do it, so can they. Show them the way and they'll follow you." 

* * *

The thing about working for the Ministry of Power Regulation is that the job is terrible, but the people are great. If his coworkers weren't as great as they are, Mingi would have switched to a different Ministry long ago. 

Objectively, the work is tiring and just a little bit boring. Mingi spends most days drowning in paperwork and proposals and the nitty-gritty of correctly transcribing every bill they want to present. He spends an inordinate amount of time sitting around a table with his coworkers, problem-solving late into the night. 

But his coworkers are good people, people who didn't call Mingi or his very public, wildly controversial ideas crazy when he first came to work for them. And his boss, Minister Nam (though he insists Mingi and the others call him Eric), is a former hero willing to listen to what Mingi has to say. Willing to see the error of his ways and grow to fix them, willing to work to find the world that Mingi sees, willing to hire the discriminated who can never get hired because of powers they have no control in having. 

Basically, 

"You need to sit straight," Doyeon pulls Mingi upright and away from his desk by the collar of his shirt. "You're going to hurt your spine." 

"I'll be fine," Mingi attempts to swat Doyeon away. 

(He fails. She smacks his head in retribution. It makes his neck ache even more.)

"Tell that to the four neck rubs I gave you last month," Seonghwa pipes up from his spot at the entrance to Mingi's office, leaning against the door frame with a sly smile. 

Mingi scowls at them. "I swear you two only come here to bother me." 

Doyeon turns to Seonghwa, who shrugs unapologetically. 

"Basically," they say with matching shit-eating grins. Mingi groans and throws his arms up in defeat. 

"You love us anyway," teases Seonghwa and Mingi grumbles as he turns away. 

(They all know it's true, there's no point denying it.)

Yes, the best part of working for the Ministry of Power Regulation is the people because he gets to work with Doyeon and Seonghwa, who are in charge of advocating for discriminated powers and equalizing working conditions for them. They come into his office every other day and mostly nag him about pointless things, ask about grabbing a meal, or pose a serious work-related question once in a blue moon. They are a constant nuisance. 

Yeah, his job is the best. 

* * *

It wasn't that no one ever opposed Mingi or the things he had to say. There were lots of people who didn't like what Mingi and the others proposed in the essays they wrote and the interviews they gave. 

Most could understand the concept of the power as a muscle, the idea that anyone could strengthen their power and train their body to make themselves more powerful. But many denied that anyone could become a hero, that low-tiers could do the same as high-tiers. Many denied that certain powers were unjustly discriminated against. Many insisted that the tier system was an essential requirement of having a functioning society. 

There were lots of people who didn't like what Mingi and the others had to say and sometimes they made their dislike very clear. 

Of everyone working to change the world, Yoongi was perhaps the best at dealing with the hatred slung their way. Nothing that anyone had to say could ever affect Yoongi, it always seemed to slide off his shoulders. Mingi, by contrast, often mentally and emotionally collapsed the second someone said something against him or the things he said. There were so many times over so many years that so many friends had to talk Mingi through his breakdowns. 

"They can't help their fear," Yoongi would tell him. "What's being said is different and that can seem scary, so they choose to lash out at us. It's hard to be patient with them, because we shouldn't have to be patient of their fear and ignorance, but it makes us the better person. It proves that the world we're trying to create is better than the one we have now. We just have to wait for them to understand." 

So Mingi learned to brush away the hatred others sometimes threw at him. He learned that for every person telling him he was insane, there was someone else willing to listen to what he had to say. There were people willing to change and that's all they needed. 

* * *

No longer too far from home to call or text often, Yeosang continues to not call his friends that much. Mingi is always a little surprised to see Yeosang's contact ringing on his phone and today is no different. 

"Hey," Mingi says mindlessly, tucking his phone between his head and his shoulder. He continues to push his half-full shopping cart down the aisle. "What's up?" 

"Do I have to have a reason for calling?" responds Yeosang and Mingi can picture the half-pout, half-scowl on Yeosang's face. 

"Technically, no," Mingi grabs a box of cereal and flips it so he can read the health information. He's trying to cut down on sugar. It's not really working. "But you tend to have one anyway." 

“Touché,” laughs Yeosang. Mingi decides to hell with it and throws two boxes of his favorite sugary cereal into the cart. Dieting is depressing anyways. "Are you going to the show on Saturday?"

"Depends on the show," says Mingi as he enters the produce aisle and makes a bee-line for the apples. 

"It's some of Yunho-ah's kids," Yeosang says. Mingi can hear the rustling of paper in the background as he carefully selects half a dozen apples, Yeosang must still be at work. "Has he not told you about it?" 

"He's coming over for dinner tonight, he probably planned to tell me then. You know he can't help bragging about his students," Mingi says, switching the phone to the other side before his neck cramps. Yeosang makes a small noise of understanding. "But yeah, I'll definitely be there. Little kids attempting to dance to hip hop is, oh, I don't know-"

"Overbearingly adorable?" Yeosang suggests and Mingi laughs loudly. He bows his head in apology to a nearby ajumma disturbed by his laughter. 

"Exactly," says Mingi. "You need a ride to the show?" 

"Yeah, the subway delays are still pretty bad at that time of day," admits Yeosang. "As long as it's not too inconvenient, a ride would be great." 

"Of course, I've got you covered," Mingi debates whether he needs the ten-kilogram sack of rice sitting in front of him. "Did you want to come over for dinner, by the way?"

He probably doesn't need ten kilos of rice, but there's no such thing as too much rice. He squats down to lift it into the bottom rack of his cart.

"I can't tonight," Yeosang says, heaving a heavy sigh. "I'll probably be stuck here working till eight and Wooyoung-ah is dead set on cooking for me no matter the hour." 

"Ah, I see," Mingi hums sympathetically as he wheels his cart up to the check-out. The kid at the register starts scanning his items apathetically and Mingi winces. He doesn't miss working part-time jobs. 

"I swear, I'm stuck here later and later every day," Yeosang complains as Mingi attempts to send a friendly smile to the cashier. It goes unnoticed. "Honestly, working for the NIS is ridiculous. Long hours, hard work, mildly to severely pompous coworkers, and I'll probably come home to my kitchen on fire." 

"First off, you loved working for the NIS last I checked." Mingi heavily squishes the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he attempts to grab his wallet so he can transfer the credits. "Second, isn't Wooyoung-ah a semi-professional cook now? I know he's head of the ICU and all, but I thought he took night classes and got his certificate?" 

"It's Wooyoung-ah," sighs Yeosang. The cashier hands Mingi his groceries and he thanks them softly. "It wouldn't matter if he had ice powers, he could still set my kitchen on fire." 

Mingi laughs again, the cashier glancing at him with thinly veiled irritation and Mingi hurries to push himself and his groceries out of the way as the next shopper steps up. 

"Anyways," Yeosang says. "I need to get back to work. But I can get a ride on Saturday?" 

"For sure," Mingi says as he hits the parking lot and heads for his car. "Good luck with your work. I hope your kitchen doesn't burn down." 

"Me too." Yeosang hangs up and Mingi manages to get his phone back into his back pocket without dropping it on the ground. 

He does, however, drop his car keys as he attempts to pull them out of his front pocket. He supposes going a day without accidentally dropping something is too much to ask for. 

* * *

Dreams can change as time goes on, but Mingi knew his dream never would. He would never stop wanting to fix what he could, never stop wanting to help people. He would always want to fix the world. 

He knew that his dream demanded a lot. He knew that fulfilling his dream would take years, decades, and might not be ever fully achieved in his lifetime. But he was willing to work as long as it took. 

When everything first started, when the momentum first started building and people came to help Mingi, Mingi was so excited to have them there. He just never expected them to stay. 

It would be selfish to expect them to stay, it would be cruel to ask them to give up their own dreams, wants, needs, desires, just to help him. So he was always very straight-forward and told every person who asked to help that they could leave whenever they wanted to. He would never trap someone in something they grew to hate. 

But they stayed. 

Most choose to pursue careers that would help actualize Mingi's dream. Some, like San, became politicians to create campaigns and directly affect the outcome of each Assembly session. Some, like Doyeon and Seonghwa, joined Mingi and Namjoon working at various Ministries so they had an influence in every section of the government. Some, like Hongjoong, became full-time advocates for Mingi's world and acted as a third-party influence.

Some, like Yeosang, Wooyoung, and Jongho, continued on the path that high-tier life took them on, doing what was asked of them while still vocally supporting Mingi's ideas and finding ways to live for themselves. 

And some, like Yunho, choose to take paths completely different. Because some were longing for something previously taken from them, longing to love what they had been afraid to love for so long, and Mingi was so proud of Yunho for choosing himself that Mingi almost cried the first time he saw Yunho dance. And when Yunho chooses to teach dance to high-tier kids as a means of escaping the pressure and responsibility of high-tier life, Mingi does tear up just a little because even when Yunho chose to take his own path, he still kept supporting Mingi in everything he did. 

He's lucky, he's so lucky to have friends that stayed. 

He owes everything to his friends and everyone who helped him. Without them, it would have taken centuries, generations, to get as far as they have. 

* * *

Some things change, others stay the same. 

The apartment he lives in now is much nicer than the one that he lived in while he was still in school. He's grown now, he's an adult that actually makes enough money to not live in a total shit hole, but he still misses the shit hole sometimes. He misses the fire escape, although the roof access of this apartment is nice too. 

On the other hand, while Mingi would love to say that his cooking skills have improved just as much as his living conditions over the years, they really haven't. He's much better than before, but he's still not that good. He forgets little details or loses track of time and leaves things on the stove for too long. He's also not the best at following recipes. 

It's why he likes to make budae jjigae. It's impossible to mess up. The measurements aren't too finicky, he can add whatever additional ingredients he likes, and the cooking process is to just throw everything in a pot and make sure it doesn't bubble over. Easy. 

"Shit," Mingi swears as he looks down into the pot after adding the ramyeon noodles. He's not supposed to add those till right before it's served. "They'll get soggy." 

He pouts, briefly debates trying to remove the noodles with a pair of tongs, and ultimately decides not to because it's just Yunho coming over for dinner, Yunho won't care. Also, Yunho eats everything. 

Once he's started the rice and the budae jjigae is at a low and steady simmer, he moves around the kitchen and finishes putting his groceries away. He accidentally knocks the invite to Minhyuk's wedding and the latest picture from Jeongguk's travels off the fridge when he tries to put the produce away, but other than that, he doesn't make too much of a mess of things. 

(Also, he totally didn't need this new ten-kilogram sack of rice, there's still five kilos left in the pantry, but there's no such thing as too much rice. He shoves the new sack behind the old one in an attempt to hide the evidence.) 

He's stirring the budae jjigae, debating on whether or not he wants to add more gochujang or maybe another clump of kimchi, when he hears the front door open and hit the hallway wall with a dull thud. 

Some things change, 

"Hyung, I'm home!" 

Others stay the same. 

"In the kitchen," Mingi calls in return. 

He adds another spoonful of gochujang, listening to the rustle of shoes being taken off and the front door closing with an audible click. The heavy padding of socked feet walking down the hallway tells Mingi when to look up and smile at Jongho turning the corner. 

"I smell budae jjigae!" announces Jongho, bounding over to peer at the pot. "Did you add the noodles too early again?" 

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Mingi says. He glances down, Jongho snickering at him, and raises his arm with a roll of his eyes. Jongho ducks under the proffered arm and Mingi hugs the younger to his side. "Welcome home. Did you have a good day?" 

"Pretty good." Jongho chirps. "I did a demonstration for the Academy, so no villains today."

"Glad to hear it," Mingi says as he pokes at the soggy noodles. His heart feels lighter knowing that Jongho was safe today. "It's always nice to have you home in one piece." 

Jongho smiles up at Mingi. "It's always good to be home." 

Mingi smiles back at Jongho, chest warm with the comfort of being together, and messes with Jongho's hair much to the younger's protest. 

Everything is exactly as it should be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're reading this, congratulations! you have officially reached the end of _the world we dream about (and the one we live in now)_! i hope you have enjoyed reading this story as much as i have enjoyed writing it, and thank you to those who have been with me along the way, especially those who left comments that gave me the energy to keep writing. 
> 
> full disclosure: i plan on eventually releasing a couple of related one-shots because, honestly, i'm too attached to this universe to just leave it. plus there are a lot of things that didn't make it into the story that i wanted to share with you. things like the story of how yeosang and mingi first met, jongho's journey to accepting his power as told from his perspective, and the struggle of living as a high-tier as told by yunho, etc. so i hope you'll come back for those when they're posted. 
> 
> for now, thank you again for reading. you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/theEmberAnne) as always, or leave your thoughts in the comments down below. 
> 
> much love,  
> anne <3


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